The next day Elena made her way to the boarding house after being summoned by Damon and Stefan. She had spent the morning on the phone with Caroline and Tyler as her and Caroline tried their best to calm Tyler down and explain everything to him.
Elena had told Caroline to tell Tyler everything that had happened since the beginning and then bring him to the boarding house where he could ask questions and then they would call Mason too, so Tyler could get a more indebt explanation about werewolves.
So here Elena was, wearing pastel pink skinny jeans, a white top, blue button up, sneakers and hair up in a messy pony tail, as she walked into the boarding house without knocking. She walked straight up to the alcohol table where Damon held out a glass of bourbon towards her.
"Good morning, Sunflower." Damon smirked at her.
"Good mor...." Elena stopped and looked at him. "Sunflower?"
"I'm trying to find a fitting nickname for you." Damon hummed. "Sunflower didn't really work as I wanted it to."
"Hey, Elena." Stefan smiled at her as he come in. "How are you feeling after yesterday?"
"I'm fine." Elena shrugged with a smile. "I'm just very happy to be able to walk in sneakers for a while, my feet aches."
"Well, you did spend several hours in 7-inch heels so..." Damon smirked at her to which she responded with sticking out her tongue at him.
"So, what is all this about?" Elena sked as she looked between Damon and Stefan.
"About that..." Stefan said but quieted as Rose walked into the room.
"Good morning." Elena smiled kindly at Rose who looked shocked. "How are you feeling after yesterday?"
"You're not going to try and kill her?" Stefan asked slowly.
"Why would I?" Elena looked at him.
"Well, she basically kidnapped you." Stefan looked slightly confused.
"Yeah and she also lost her best friend and brother, I think I can cut her some slack." Elena shrugged.
"I really need to stop expecting that you will react like a normal, sane, person." Stefan muttered quietly.
"So how can we help you?" Elena turned to Rose while sipping her bourbon.
"Okay, you need to understand that I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not." Rose told them as she sat down on the couch. "That's the problem with all this vampire crap. But Klaus? I know he's real."
"Wait... Santa is real?!" Elena asked wide eyed.
"Not that Klaus you dumb ass." Damon laughed loudly.
"How should I know?" Elena looked at him. "I mean there're already vampire, werewolves and witches, Santa Claus wouldn't fucking surprise me."
"The Klaus we are talking about is one of the originals, he's a legend." Damon chuckled.
"So's Santa." Elena grumbled.
"From the first generation of vampires, Elena." Stefan smiled at her.
"Like Elijah?" Elena looked between the three vampires.
"No, Elijah was the Easter Bunny compared to Klaus." Rose admitted. "He's a foot soldier, Klaus is the real deal."
"Klaus is known as the oldest." Stefan said softly.
'Wasn't Klaus the middle child?' Elena thought but out loud she asked. "So, what you are saying is that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?"
"Yes." Rose said at the same time as Stefan said. "No."
"What they're saying is..." Damon took a sip of his bourbon. "I mean if what she's saying is true..."
"Which it is." Rose interrupted.
"And you're not just saying that so I don't kill you." Damon looked at Rose.
"Which I'm not." Rose looked back.
"Then were looking at a solid maybe." Damon turned back to Elena.
"Cool." Elena nodded.
"Look, Elijah's dead, right?" Stefan spoke up. "So, no one else even knows you exist."
"Not that you know of." Rose pointed out.
"That's...that's really not helpful." Damon glared slightly.
"I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him." Stefan insisted. "I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real, for all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story."
"He's real and he doesn't give up." Rose maintained. "If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you are an idiot."
"Alright, we're shaking." Damon said. "You made your point."
Elena pulled out her phone and put in a number and when Stefan asked what she was doing she just put up her finger.
"Hello?" Pearl answered after a couple of signals.
"Hey Pearl." Elena smiled. "How's the traveling?"
"Elena, so nice to hear from you." Pearl had a smile in her voice. "The traveling has been amazing. There are so many things to see."
"I'm glad that you are enjoying yourself." Elena hummed. "I just had a question that I hoped you could answer?"
"Ask it and I shall do my best to answer." Pearl said.
"Have you ever heard of Klaus?" Elena asked slowly.
"You've been found out as a doppelgänger, haven't you?" Pearl asked somnolently.
"So, you have heard of him." Elena stated with a nodded.
"What I've heard are mostly bits and pieces from Kathrine." Pearl told them. "I know that he is the reason she was on the run, that he was obsessed with finding a doppelgänger and that she feared him above all others."
"Did she ever tell you why she was scared of him or why he wanted a doppelgänger?" Elena wanted to know.
"No, I'm sorry." Pearl sounded regretful. "Do you want us to come back and help?"
"Nah, we'll handle it and if it gets too much we'll call." Elena reassured. "You guys just have fun traveling the world and say hello to Anna and Harper from me."
"If you're sure." Pearl hesitantly said. "Take care, Elena."
"Likewise." Elena smiled as she hung up then she turned to the other in the room. "Now we know he's real, at least."
"You're planning on talking to Kathrine later, aren't you?" Damon looked at Elena.
"Haven't decided yet." Elena said just as the doorbell rang. "That should be Caroline and Tyler."
Stefan went to let them in while Elena refilled her glass. As she stood by the drink table, she felt eyes on her and as she looked up, she saw Rose observing her. Elena lifted a glass and silently asked if Rose wanted some.
"Thank you." Rose murmured when Elena gave her the glass.
"You're welcome." Elena smiled and then as Caroline and Tyler walked in with Stefan, she introduced them. "Rose, this is Tyler the good doggo and Caroline the blond bombshell, Caroline, Tyler, this is Rose the hirudinean."
"Nice to meet you." Caroline smiled brightly as she shook Rose's hand, then she explained to a confused looking Tyler and Rose. "Elena has started to give everyone in this group nicknames, you already heard yours but Stefan and Damon are the resident leeches, Bonnie is the hag, Jeremy is baby hunter and Elena calls herself the crazy mascot."
"Right," Tyler mumbled. "What do you call Mason?"
"The puppy." Elena beamed. "So has Caroline told you everything that has been going on?"
"Yeah but it's a lot to processes." Tyler admitted.
"Would it help if you could talk to Mason?" Elena asked kindly.
"Maybe." Tyler looked thoughtful. "I think so yeah."
"Did Caroline tell you that because you aren't keyed to the pendent, he won't look like himself?" Elena led Tyler into an office where a computer was set up.
"She did explain that, she also explained that you faked his murder to save his life." Tyler smiled gratefully at her.
"That we did. I actually think Damon had a lot of fun at pretending to kill him." Elena smiled as she video called Mason from the computer.
"Alpha." Mason greeted as soon as the video call connected.
"Isn't that joke getting old by now?" Elena groaned.
"Nope, and it's not a joke." Mason chuckled then he became serious when he saw Tyler. "Tyler? What's going on?"
"Uncle Mason?" Tyler asked hesitantly.
"Yeah it's me, kiddo." Mason reassured. "Even though I don't look the same."
"I'll leave you two to talk." Elena patted Tyler on the shoulder and walked out.
Elena walked to the parlor to see that it was devoid of all but Rose who was crying on the couch.
Elena walked over and sat down beside her as she pulled Rose into a hug. "Shh, it'll be okay, you'll see."
"Thank you." Rose pulled back after a few minutes. "But I have to ask; why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because I can understand why you did what you did." Elena smiled gently with a half shrug. "Trevor was your family and if there is something I understand, it's doing whatever you can to keep your family safe."
"You really aren't anything like Katerina." Rose murmured. "She would sacrifice anyone and anything to save herself."
Before Elena could say anything else, Damon walked into the parlor, "All right, Rosebud, I need some answers."
"The sky is blue, the meaning of life is to give life a meaning or 42 depending on who you ask and it is fully possible to sky dive without a parachute, but only once." Elena smirked.
"Seriously, Elena?" Damon mock glared at her.
"What?" Elena asked with a pouted while Rose laughed. "You said you wanted some answers, next time be more specific."
"All right, fine. Rose, how do I find Klaus?" Damon smirked. "That specific enough for you, Alpha?"
"It'll do." Elena sniffed with her nose in the air.
"You don't find Klaus." Rose looked at Damon. "He finds you."
"Come on." Damon groaned. "Somebody's got to know somebody who knows where he is, right?"
"Add another two hundred somebodies to that and you're still not even close." Rose sighed.
"Just humor me, okay?" Damon almost pleaded with her. "You got in touch with Elijah. How did you do that?"
"Through somebody very low on the totem pole." Rose told him. "A guy named Slater in Richmond."
"Perfect, I'll drive." Damon smirked and started to leave.
"You forget that not all of us can walk in the sun." Rose said.
"First of; I'm coming to." Elena informed them. "And second; when we get back, I can ask Bonnie to make you some daylight bling."
"Elena..." Damon started but stopped at the look he was getting from her.
"You would do that?" Rose asked hopefully.
"Of course, darling." Elena smiled at her.
XOXOXOX
Rose parked the car in an underground parking lot when they arrived in Richmond. Elena and Rose had been bonding during the car ride by singing along to the music and talking about everything and anything with Damon piping in every now and then.
"Back entrance." Damon hummed as they stepped out of the car. "How convenient."
"That's the point." Rose looked at him. "Not all vampires have little daylight rings."
"But you'll have one when we get back." Elena smiled at her then she got a calculating look on her face. "Do you think Bonnie could make a business out of selling daylight jewelry to vampires?"
"I can guarantee that she would have a lot of customers that would be willingly to pay a lot of money." Rose told her.
"Something to bring up to her then." Elena nodded.
"How do we know if this Slater guy is even here?" Damon asked as they made their way up the stairs to the coffee shop.
"I called him, he's here." Rose assured. "He's always here."
"Good, because if you are setting us up, there will be hell to pay." Damon smirked. "And I'll enjoy sitting back and watch as Elena tortures you for endangering her friend."
"Elena?" Rose looked shocked.
"I've always wanted to know how long it will take for a vampire to regrow their skin if you flayed them." Elena smiled brightly at her.
Rose turned towards Damon and said quietly, "Remind me to never piss her off, yeah?"
As they walked out into the café Damon grabbed Rose's arm before she could walk into the sunlight. "Whoa, what about the sunlight?"
"Double paned and tempered glass, UV rays can't penetrate." Rose smiled as she led them further into the café. "You see the appeal now?"
"That and the free Wi-Fi." A man joined them.
"Hey, how are you?" Rose pulled the man, obviously Slater, into a hug.
"Good." Slater looked at Rose. "I saw you coming, what are you doing here?"
"Mmm, it's a long story but I want you to meet..." Rose started but was interrupted by Slater.
"Damon Salvatore, turned 1864 in Mystic Falls by Kathrine Pierce aka Katerina Petrova." Slater said as he looked at Damon, then he turned back to Rose. "So, I take it I was right, what I told you about the tomb under the church, was true?"
"Yes, it was right." Rose nodded. "Thank you for the tip."
"It's nice to meet you, maybe." Slater looked at Damon again.
"Did I become invisible or something?" Elena asked when no one made any indication to introduce her.
"Oh my God." Slater gasped as he turned to her, then he turned wide eyed to Rose. "You brought Kathrine with you?"
"That's not Kathrine." Rose smiled slightly as she walked over to Elena. "This is Elena, she's human."
"You are a doppelgänger." Slater breathed out in awe.
"So, they tell me." Elena shrugged slightly.
"Rose, what is going on?" Slater asked. "And where's Trevor?"
The four of them had made their way over to a table by the windows as Rose told Slater what had happen to Trevor.
"And you're sure that Elijah's dead?" Slater asked.
"Beyond dead." Damon assured him while Elena thought 'Yeah not really.'
"Trevor was a good man; he helped me with my dissertation on sexual deviance in the Baroque period." Trevor looked sad. "I was schooling for my Psych PhD."
"Slater's been in college since '74." Rose told them.
"When I was turned." Slater shrugged, then he looked a little proud. "I have 18 degrees, 3 master's and 4 PhDs."
"Good job." Elena smiled brightly at him. "I'm proud of you."
"Thank you." Slater smiled back at her, but the look of awe in his eyes said that not many people had said that to him.
"Hey Slater, you are in contact with a lot of vampires, right?" Elena asked slowly.
"Yeah, why?" Slater looked at her.
"Well, me and one of my best friends might be starting a business soon and we'll need to get the message out to the vampire world." Elena told him.
"Why?" Slater tilted his head to the side.
"The business she's talking about is selling daylight rings." Rose explained. "Her friend is a witch."
"Really?" Slater looked wide eyed at Elena.
"Nothing decided yet." Elena shrugged.
"If you get me a daylight ring, I'll be your middle man between you and all the vampires." Slater swore.
"Sound good." Elena smiled at him. "I'll just steal your number from Rose."
"Slater, the reason we're here is because we need your help." Rose spoke up. "If someone wanted to get in touch with Klaus, how would you hook him up?"
"Craigslist." Slater answered simply.
"Really?" Damon huffed.
"Seriously." Slater nodded. "I respond to a personal ad to het sent to somebody who knows Elijah, who's dead, and that's where my connection ends."
"Here's what I don't get: Elijah moved around during the day, which means the originals knew the secret of the daylight ring." Damon observed. "Now why would Klaus want to break the curse of the sun and the moon."
"To keep the werewolves from lifting it." Slater explained. "If a vampire breaks the sun curse then werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever and vice versa."
"But werewolves are extinct." Rose said.
"True." Slater nodded. "I've never seen one but rumor has it...!"
"The rumors aren't rumors." Elena piped up. "Rose met a werewolf earlier today."
"I did?" Rose looked at Elena.
"Tyler." Damon smirked at Rose. "Why do you think Elena called him 'the good doggo' and his uncle 'the puppy'?"
"Mystic Falls?" Slater looked between the other three. "God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome."
"You can stay at my place if you ever visit." Elena smiled.
"Elena, are you just going to keep inviting vampires into your house?" Damon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not vampires in general just vampires I like." Elena smiled innocently.
"Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" Damon turned to Slater.
"What do you mean?" Salter looked confused.
"Well, if we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?" Damon asked.
Elena looked at him, they both knew that the sun and the moon curse was most likely a lie so why was Damon talking about it like he believed it. At the look Damon sent her she finally figured out what he was doing, they didn't know who was listening in so he was misleading them!
"Well, yeah, probably, but why would you want to do that?" Slater wondered.
"Tell me how." Damon ordered.
"You think I'm going to help you figure out how to do something that will piss off an original?" Slater chuckled like it was a big joke.
"Damon, if anyone finds out that Slater helped us with this and it gets back to Klaus, Slater's life is probably forfeit." Elena said sadly, she usually didn't care about people that weren't close friends but she didn't want Rose, who was becoming a friend, to lose someone else after she so recently lost Trevor. "I am not going to ask Slater to risk his life for this"
Suddenly all the windows exploded inwards. Slater and Rose started to scream as their skin began to burn. Elena helped Slater into a shaded placed, "Get out of here and call us when you are safe."
"What about you guys?" Slater looked at her.
"We'll be fine." Elena assured him. "Be safe."
"Thank you." Slater hugged her quickly and left.
Back in front of the widows Damon covered Rose with his jacket and together with Elena helped her out of the back of the coffee chop.
Damon lifted Rose into his arms as he carried her to the car and put her in the back seat. "You're gonna be okay."
"I know." Rose tried to smile but it came out more of a grimace. "Elena, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just some cuts." Elena reassured her.
"Who was behind that?" Damon asked worried.
"I don't know." Rose murmured. "Where's Slater?"
"Iowa by now." Damon glared at nothing. "Who the hell knows."
"I helped him get away." Elena smiled at Rose.
"Slater is not behind this, he's a good guy." Rose told Damon even as she nodded at Elena in thanks. "He would never betray me."
"Who did this then?" Damon wanted to know.
"It's Klaus, don't you understand?" Rose sounded scared as she started to cry. "You don't know this man, we're dead, we're all dead!"
XOXOXOX
A few hours later Elena made her way into the boarding house. The first thing Elena had done as she came back to Mystic Falls was to go and talk to Kathrine, who just confirmed what Elena already knew.
"Elena, are you okay?" Damon asked as she walked into the parlor of the boarding house.
Damon and Rose where curled together under a blanket in front of the fire place, both of them in only their underwear.
"Physically I'm fine." Elena murmured. "But emotionally..."
"You can talk to us." Damon told her gently.
"I wanted to know the truth and I got it." Elena felt tears gather in her eyes and did her best not to let them fall. "It's not just me that's in danger. It's Caroline and Tyler and Bonnie too. They're all part of breaking the curse and it's all because of me."
"Hey, hey, it's not your fault." Damon pulled her into a hug, ignoring his half nakedness.
"We are not letting anyone of our pack die." Elena declared fiercely.
"Of course not." Damon agreed.
"Are you with us, Rose?" Elena looked at the vampiress.
"As long as you'll have me." Rose said after thinking about it for a few minutes.
"Welcome to the pack." Elena hugged her.
"Thanks." Rose chuckled as she hugged back even if she felt a little uncomfortable in just a blanket and her underwear.
The three of them spent some time talking in front od the fire place. Damon and Rose back under the blanket while Elena were sitting crossed legged in front of the couch with her back against it.
"Did you know that the 'switch' doesn't actually exist?" Rose told them. "Sure, it does when you're a newbie but after a couple of hundred years...you just have to pretend."
"What if you never turned it back on?" Elena asked. "Would that mean that your emotion was gone forever?"
Rose opened her mouth to answer when her phone rang.
"Hello?" Rose answered then she smiled and put the phone on speaker. "Slater? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I laid low for a while after Elena helped me get out of the sun." Slater told them. "Sorry for bailing but I was freaked."
"I'm sorry we involved you." Rose apologized softly.
"Look, I want no part in the whole sun and moon curse business." Slater said. "But I did some digging."
"You didn't have to do that." Elena hummed softly. "Thank you."
"What did you find?" Rose wanted to know.
"You can destroy the curse but you need the moonstone." Slater explained.
Elena felt like there was something she was missing, something she was forgetting even as Rose asked, "How? What do you mean? I don't follow."
"Can your friends get the moonstone?" Slater asked. "Because you'll need it."
"Yes, they can get it." Rose said as she saw Elena and Damon nod. "What next?"
"Get the moonstone to a witch and they should be able to figure out the rest." Skater said and hung up.
"See? Not everything is as hopeless as it seems." Damon smirked.
Elena smiled at him and got up from the floor. "I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I wish both of you a...pleasant night." She gave a smirking leer as she left.
When she got home, she quickly made herself ready for bed and crawled in under her blankets, still feeling like she was forgetting something but decided to worry about it some other day.