"Why are you avoiding Caroline?" Stefan asked Riley.
They were at Elena's house. Alaric, Damon and Elena were going to Elena's birth mother's old college to find out information about Tyler Lockwood and his family (including his visiting Uncle Mason), who seemed to have a secret. Tyler's father was taken into the building with the other vampires and eventually killed, but they knew for sure that he wasn't a vampire. Their best bet was to try and find answers in Isobel's research. Riley had offered to go with them to Duke to act as a buffer between Elena and Damon.
"I'm not going to Duke to avoid Caroline," Riley lied. It wasn't just about Caroline... she was also avoiding her arguing parents. "I want to help. Whatever Tyler's family secret is, we should know about it."
Stefan smiled slightly. "You're a bad liar."
Riley rolled her eyes. "Look, it's just gonna take me a bit of time. You know I love Caroline, but... she's a vampire."
"I understand," Stefan sympathized. "But look, every day that she's cut off from her old life, it'll make it that much harder for her to hold onto her humanity."
"Stefan, all of my best friends are supernatural creatures... or related to them. I need to work out how to hold onto my own humanity," Riley said. She knew how selfish she sounded, but she also knew that she'd never give up on Caroline, not really. She just needed to spend a day with some humans. And 2 out of 3 was the best that she could do.
Stefan nodded. "Do me a favor?" he asked. "Don't let Elena kill Damon."
Riley laughed. "He killed her brother, fair's fair," she said, recalling Elena's version of Damon's latest indiscretion, before sighing. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
"I'm ready!" Elena announced, walking down the stairs. "I hate that Damon is coming, but I'm ready."
"Are you sure you wanna go?" Stefan asked her. He didn't like the fact that Damon was going either, especially since Damon had kissed Katherine, thinking she was Elena. In Riley's opinion, if it had been Elena, Damon would have regretted the kiss instantly – he cared about his brother too much.
"Yeah," Elena said uncertainly. "Having Ric and Riley there will be a good buffer. Plus I'll get to find out some stuff about my mysterious vampire birth-mother."
"You say that like it's the most casual thing in the world," Riley laughed.
Elena smiled. "I know. It's the same way I say 'my brother was killed by a vampire, but he came back to life because he was wearing a magic ring'."
They all walked out of the house together. Riley quickly got in the car with Ric, allowing Stefan and Elena to say a proper goodbye, made awkward by Damon watching them.
"Are we making a mistake by bringing both of them?" Ric asked, looking at Riley in the rear-view mirror.
"Totally."
***
"These are my friends Elena, Riley and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition," Ric said to Vanessa Monroe, a research assistant who worked at Duke with Isobel.
"Isobel's office is right through there," Vanessa gestured. "Feel free to look around."
They walked around the room.
"What are we looking for?" Riley asked, picking up random books on the shelves and putting them back in different places.
"Any evidence of werewolves," Ric said, also pulling out books in an arbitrary fashion. They didn't know if werewolves even existed, but there weren't a lot of ways to explain why Tyler and his father were affected by the Gilbert Device, but not by vervain.
All of a sudden, Vanessa walked into the room with a crossbow, aiming it at Elena.
Without hesitation, Damon vamp-ran in front of her, taking the arrow in the back and groaning. Ric grabbed Vanessa and pushed her against the wall.
"Pull it out," Damon said to Elena, grimacing in pain.
She ran to face his back, looking at the arrow. The fact that it was lodged in his back freaked her out, she didn't even want to look at it. She grabbed it delicately and closed her eyes, but it didn't budge, so she tightened her hold on it, pulling it out of his back as hard as she could. It gave way and she dropped it on the floor.
"That bitch is dead," Damon said, an angry look on his face.
"You're not gonna kill her," Elena insisted, standing in front of him with crossed arms. He'd already tried to kill her brother and she wasn't about to let him kill someone else.
"Watch me," Damon smirked in response.
"Guys, check this out," Riley distracted them, holding out a book to try and change the subject. "This book explains one origin of the werewolf curse, traced through Virginia."
Her tactic worked. They both stopped arguing and looked at her.
"When the full moon crests in the sky, whoever has the curse turns into a wolf. But whether they're a wolf or not, they have an internal need to hunt vampires."
Damon rolled his eyes. "If werewolves were hunting vampires, I'd know about it."
Riley shook her head. "Nope. According to this, the vampires hunted the werewolves almost to extinction."
"Why would they do that?" Elena asked curiously.
"Protection," Riley said, her eyes still on the words on the page. "According to the legend, a werewolf bite is fatal to a vampire."
Damon and Elena looked at each other, thinking the same thing. If Tyler Lockwood, and his new-to-town uncle Mason were really werewolves, then Stefan and Caroline were in serious trouble.
***
"You're sure?" Stefan asked.
"No," Riley admitted, the phone on loudspeaker so that everyone else could hear. "But if we're to believe the legends, then yeah, you might be in danger."
"And why should we believe a creepy legend in a thousand year old book?" Damon asked, scoffing. He didn't believe that werewolves existed, but if they did, they couldn't kill vampires... could they?
"You do realize that if all legends are false, you technically don't exist?" Riley asked with a smirk. "A world I'm sure we'd all enjoy."
"Look, it doesn't matter," Elena ignored them. "It's a full moon Stefan. So even if it's not true, you should get Caroline and stay inside. Don't risk it."
"Speaking of which, how is Caroline?" Riley asked, feeling guilty.
"She's..." Stefan sounded distracted. "Fine. Listen, I gotta go. I'll see you when you get home." He hung up before any of them had the chance to respond.
"Should we be worried?" Elena asked.
"We live in Mystic Falls," Riley reminded her. "We're constantly worried... with good reason."
Damon rolled his eyes. "Look, it doesn't matter. Because if Uncle Lockwood and baby Lockwood are werewolves, they're dead."
"You're always threatening to kill people," Riley acknowledged. "Doesn't it seem like wasted effort when you never actually follow through?"
"Don't tempt him," Elena warned, a sour look on her face. "He killed my brother, remember?"
"He came back to life!"
"You didn't know he was wearing the ring!"
"I saw the ring!"
"No you didn't!"
"Yes I did!"
"No you didn't!"
Riley sighed loudly and stood up. "I promised Stefan that I wouldn't let you guys kill each other," she informed them. "So either leave each other alone or start making out because I can't take this anymore."
There was a slightly awkward silence, before Elena rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room.
"Is she ever gonna forgive me?" Damon asked. He tried to make it come across as a joke, but Riley could sense the seriousness in his tone.
"She lost her parents, and you almost killed her brother," Riley reminded him. "For a minute, she thought that every ounce of family she has, besides Jenna, was gone. You're lucky she didn't get in her car and run you over."
Damon shrugged. "I was pissed. She'll get over it.
Riley stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Would you forgive someone for almost-killing Stefan?"
He thought about her question when she left the room. Could he forgive someone for doing what he'd done?
***
After a somewhat successful day, all Riley wanted to do was sleep. The only thing they'd managed to figure out was that the Lockwood's might be werewolves. They could also be something different entirely. How were they supposed to figure this out? Did it even matter?
She let herself into the dark house.
"Mom, Dad? Anyone home?" she called.
"Riley, it's about time," a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice said in the darkness. Riley fumbled for the light switch. When she finally turned it on, she saw Katherine Pierce holding a knife to her mother's throat.
"Mom!" she shouted, immediately jolting forward before catching herself and slowing down.
"We've been waiting for you," Katherine said with a smirk.
"What do you want?" Riley asked, her whole body tense with fright.
The smirk didn't leave the vampire's face. "I'm so glad you asked," she smiled. "I don't know how much you know about me and the Salvatore brothers, but know this. Stefan and Elena aren't supposed to be together."
"And what the hell am I supposed to do about that?!" Riley asked angrily.
"I already have Caroline Forbes planting doubt. You have to make sure that she doesn't fail," Katherine said, pressing the knife slightly tighter. "If Stefan and Elena stay together, I'm gonna make a lovely centerpiece out of mommy's head. Do I make myself clear?"
"Leave her alone Katherine," Riley said slowly, trying not to show how scared she was. "We have nothing to do with Stefan and Elena."
"You're their friend," she reminded the teenager. "And if you don't follow my instructions, I'm your worst nightmare."
Riley closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them, Katherine was gone, the front door left open.
Riley ran to her mom and wrapped her arms around her.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ciara asked her daughter, raising an eyebrow. "And what are you doing home so late?"
Riley glanced at her mom suspiciously. "You're not wearing any vervain?"
Ciara looked confused. "I'm not?" she asked, grasping at her neck. "Where's my necklace?"
Riley knew the answer straight away, it was all part of the plan. With no vervain, Katherine could make Ciara do anything. She had no choice but to follow the rules. Riley had to get Stefan and Elena to break up – or Katherine would kill her mom.
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So now the gang are dealing with werewolf rumors and Katherine Pierce - which is more scary?
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