MYSTIC GRILL

Aella leaned back into Stefan, and as they watched Carol Lockwood introduce each of the bachelors on stage, she'd just finished introducing Kelly's ex and was heading over to Alaric. Aella laughed at the uncomfortable look on Alaric's face; finally, this evening was becoming entertaining and not a sob fest.

"Alaric Saltzman." Carol laughed as though she'd never heard of Ric before. "Wow. That's quite a mouthful. What do you do, Alaric?"

Alaric leaned way too close to the microphone, something Aella thought Carol appreciated too much, "I'm a teacher at Mystic Falls High."

"Oooh," Carol oohed to the crowd, and Aella and even a stoic Stefan had to chuckle at Ric's awkwardness. "Beauty and brains, ladies... and such lovely eyes too."

Ric laughed to himself as he leaned forwards, "Thank you, they come with the face."

"Ha!" Aella chuckled out loud, "I'll pay $100 just for that comment."

Carol only glared as Ric winked at Aella for being the only one to laugh at his corny joke.

While this was going on, Stefan's eye was on Damon, who was looking far to happy on the stage as he watched Ric too closely. Stefan just knew his brother was up to no good and leaned down to Aella, "I need to tell you something."

Aella looked up at him frowning and pointed to the stage, "But Damon's next, I can't mock him if I mi-"

"-now," Stefan interrupted her, and seeing the seriousness on his face, she allowed him to pull her to the back of the room.

"What's wrong?"

Stefan looked over Aella to Elena, Ric, and Damon before he looked back down to Aella, guilt on his face, "I wasn't too sure, but I feel a hell of a lot sure now..."

Aella didn't like it when Stefan was this conflicted, "Tell me."

"Ric believes it, and the way Damon's acting, I believe it..." Stefan stuttered until he looked Aella in the eyes. "I think Damon turned Isobel, and I think she's still alive because they never found a body." He glanced at the stage and saw Carol reach Damon, "And I think Damon just realized that too, minus her being Elena's mother."

Aella gulped at the amount of information, "Holy cow!" She looked to the stage and saw what Stefan saw, but also saw the gleam in Damon's eyes. "We need to get Elena out of here."

Before Stefan could say anything, Aella was fast walking to the table, Elena sat at with Jenna and was pulling her up. Before Elena could protest, Aella pulled her close, "I just found out something, you need to go before you find it out too in a not so nice way."

Elena frowned and went to protest again, but Aella interrupted before she could do so, "If there was a time to trust me, do it now. I don't want you to be hurt."

That was enough for Elena, and the two started making their way to the door when Damon's voice echoed over the room, "I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus, actually. I think—I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric? Yeah, 'cause I-- I know your wife did."

Elena stopped in her tracks, the words 'Duke' and 'North Carolina' resonating from her talk with Trudie. As she turned to the stage, Aella pulled on her arm, "Elena, don't do this."

Stefan's eyes met Aella's, where he was updating a perplexed Jenna, apologetic that he hadn't told her his suspicions earlier. Their eyes turned to the stage simultaneously as Damon dug more of his own grave, "I had a drink with her once. She was—she was a great girl. I ever tell you that? Cause she was -- Delicious. Mmm! Mmm, mmm, mmm."

Elena couldn't take anymore and turned to the door, "I feel sick."

As she left, Bonnie and Caroline looked over at Aella confused, she waved them off and followed Elena outside.

The brunette was pacing outside when Aella exited the Grill, she turned to the smaller brunette as soon as she saw Aella, "He killed her? Damon was the vampire that killed her?"

Aella could only shrug helplessly, "I don't know what happened. Stefan just said that they never found the body."

Elena hunched over as she tearfully cried out, "Oh my god, Aella."

Aella didn't hesitate to pull her friend close as she cried, "I'm sorry. I wish I could have saved you from that."

Elena pulled away after a few minutes, wiping her tears, "Is that what Stefan was talking about earlier?"

"Yeah," Aella nodded, wiping the tears Elena missed. "He didn't want to say anything until he knew fully, but he saw Damon and knew Damon was about to do something stupid."

Elena let out a harsh laugh, "That's the understatement of the night. You know, I was feeling sorry for him, hoping that this whole Katherine thing would change him. I'm so stupid."

"I think we all thought the same," Aella shrugged lightly. The two leaned against the Grill, looking out onto the town. "And as spiteful as his words were to Ric, he didn't know about the connection to you."

"Like that would have mattered," Elena glared at the floor.

Aella wasn't too sure, "I think it would have, E."

Elena was confused and hurt as she looked to her friend, "Why are you protecting him?"

"Him? No," Aella was firm with her words. Her thoughts going to Stefan, "But Stefan, as much as Damon as done to him. He's still his brother, and he's hoping one day that he might actually change. I need to hope that for him too."

Elena understood, "You're too good for the town, Aella."

"And leave my best friends, my family, my home?" Aella teased, nudging Elena. "Never."

Elena pulled Aella into a hug, and they just held onto each other. When Elena opened her eyes, she saw the man from Trudie's house standing only a few feet away from them, "Aella?"

Aella turned at Elena's nervous voice, and when she saw the man staring at them, she'd had enough. Stomping over to him, she missed Elena running inside to find Stefan, "Okay, who the hell are you? And why the hell are you following us?"

The man seemed out of it as he just stared at Aella, though as he spoke, his eyes trailed to where Elena had just been, "I have a message for her."

"Elena?" Aella questioned.

The man didn't answer, "Tell her to stop looking."

Aella examined the man, his demeanor unsettling the witch, "Stop looking for what?"

"She doesn't want to know her. She doesn't want to talk to her."

Aella leaned forward, and the man didn't flinch as Aella looked into his eyes. When she saw the dissociation in them, she let out a sigh of sadness, "Oh, you're compelled."

He didn't answer, only continued with the instructions he's obviously been given, "You need to stop her looking. Do you understand?"

Aella didn't like how close the man was to the road, and the passing cars, his body swayed as he spoke. Using her air magic, she pushed the man closer to the Grill rather than the road. She snapped her fingers in his face, "You need to come out of this."

The man only asked Aella, "Do you understand?"

Aella knew she couldn't answer; she felt like if she answered, there would be dire consequences. She heard the Grill door open, and when Stefan shouted her name, she was never so happy to hear her boyfriend run over.

The man repeated his question to Aella, "Do you understand?"

"He's compelled," she told him as soon as he reached the two. "Something's not right, I need to stop the compulsion." She looked to Stefan, "Can you do it?"

Stefan could only shake his head, "A new compulsion cannot override a previous compulsion."

"Do you understand?"

Aella waved her arms in frustration as she tried to remember something she read in Emily's grimoire, her new nighttime reading material. "I saw something in Emily's grimoire, ugh!" She hit her head, trying to remember.

"Do you understand?"

The repeat question seemed to get under both Stefan and Aella's skin following the night's events, and they both shouted at the man, "Yes!

It was only when the words tumbled from their mouths did the consequence hit them, and both stared at each other wide-eyed, as the man seemed to relax. Aella could only mutter, "Oh no."

With the man's job done, he pushed past the two and walked to the end of the path, and when the couple looked to the road, they saw a large truck heading their way. The man's foot lifted to step off the path when Aella's hands wrapped around his head, and the words just tumbled out of her mouth, "Uti magicae meo tenebras minimo usque ad maximum, casusque negativam!"

The man stilled, and his foot dropped as the truck flew past honking its horn. When Aella removed her hands, the man turned around confused as Stefan and Aella shared similar expressions.

'Where the hell had that spell come from?' Aella thought.

"Where am I?" The man questioned.

While Stefan could only look back in his long history and the history of others knowing he'd never seen, let alone heard, about compulsion removed that quick or that painlessly.

The man turned to look around him, as the couple only stared open-mouthed at him, "Where am I?" He looked to his hand, where a phone lay. "This isn't mine."

Stefan seemed to be knocked out of his stupor when the man looked to him and stepped forward, his eyes dilating, "You got off at the wrong bus stop." He pulled a couple of $20 notes out of his pocket and switched the phone for the bills, "You're gonna get on the bus and go home. Once you're home, you will forget this ever happened."

For a moment, Stefan wondered if his compulsion would work after Aella's spell, but the man only nodded and walked away.

When the man disappeared from their sights, he turned to Aella, "Are you okay?"

Aella could only nod, as Stefan questioned again, "Do you know what you just did there?"

Aella shook her head this time, eyes still wide.

Stefan wrapped his arm around her and led her back to the Grill, "We can talk about it later, let's get you in from the cold."

..............................................

..............................................

Aella was quiet after she and Stefan sat down at Jenna's table, Elena and Bonnie had left, Elena unable to stand seeing Damon's face. The night had gone well for the town, Carol Lockwood was smiling brightly as she finished speaking with bachelor number two and he went off with his future date.

Carol pulled out a raffle ticket from the bowl, "And bachelor number 3 goes to 37458."

Kelly Donovan raised her hand painfully slow, "That's me."

As Kelly stumbled towards Carol, drink in hand, Carol seemed to be very proud as the woman who hadn't even returned following her daughter's death handed her the winning ticket, "Ah. Kelly Donovan. Lovely."

Kelly seemed to snatch the ticket as Mrs. Lockwood smiled on, "You and the plumber should have so much fun, after all, don't you have a history?"

Kelly only smiled tightly at the Mayor's Wife, and when she headed over to Caroline, only then did Aella demeanor change. With a wave of her hand, she pushed her magic to hear Kelly's answer after Caroline had congratulated her, as she did with the other two women who had won.

"Okay, just stop. Stop trying so hard." Kelly glared at the brunette, and Aella's fist tightened unconsciously. "This thing you're doing, this nice thing, it's fake. Like you. Like your mom. And for some reason, Matt fell for it, but that doesn't mean that I will. I don't like you, okay? So tell plumber boy I'll be at the bar."

As she turned, the people watching the moment turned away until Aella's hand flicked, and Kelly's drink splashed all over her face and chest, the drunk mother only gasping out in surprise as her cheap mascara ran down her face.

Aella snorted out loud as Jenna and Stefan only gave her a look, and Caroline smiled brightly at her best friend, who could only wink.

The Grill tried to hold back their laughter as Kelly stormed off, as best as she could with her cheap heels, and the amount of alcohol in her system. Aella was even proud of Mrs. Lockwood, elegant as always, held back her laughter, and continued as if nothing had happened.

Carol pulled out another raffle ticket from the bowl, "And bachelor number 3 goes to 37649."

There were groans from the women in the crowd as Ric blushed, and Jenna raised her hand, hesitantly, "That's me."

Aella, feeling a little like herself, clapped at the situation, "Oh, that's class!" She shared an amused glance with Stefan, and Jenna glared down at her charge and walked towards Carol.

Carol smiled as she handed Jenna her ticket, "Congratulations."

When Jenna and Alaric met at Caroline, the blonde smiled happily at the selection. Still, her smile, as well as Jenna's, dropped when Ric seemed distracted by Carol as she proudly announced her number had been 'chosen' for Damon.

Ric seemed antsy as glanced over at Jenna, "I'll call you later."

He was gone before Jenna could say anything, and as she glanced at Caroline, the blonde could only shrug.

Stefan and Aella shared a confused glance as Carol called for Damon again, "Where is the lothario?"

Stefan could only shake his head until he remembered Elena found him when Aella was dealing with the man outside. Damon had just bumped into Elena as he exited the Grill, "I think Elena had a run-in with Damon. You don't think-?"

Aella pulled her jacket off the chair as she got up, "Oh, I definitely do. Elena tore him a new one, and now he's licking his wounds."

As the two left for Aella's car, they both wondered how Damon would be faring after not only Katherine had abandoned him, but so had her doppelganger.

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

Damon danced through the house, whiskey in a glass in one hand, and the other with the whiskey bottle. He had drunk the remaining liquid from his last bottle as he watched Alaric die, and as he gloated over the dead man, he realized more was needed.

The front door opened, and Damon groaned when he saw his brother and Pixie; he knew his buzz was about to be killed. He held up his bottle and grinned at the two, "Welcome to the party."

Stefan raised his brow, "You missed who picked your ticket."

Damon was surprised at the lack of the Spanish Inquisition, "Who'd I get?" He gasped, "Please say, Jenna, that would make this day end even better."

"Even better," Aella crossed her arms smugly. "Mrs. Lockwood 'picked' you."

"Ooh," Damon smirked at the short brunette. "Older, more experienced." Laughing on the inside when Aella scowled.

Unfortunately, his own internal laughter died when Aella too smirked, "Heard you had a run-in with Elena."

Damon groaned out loud, "How was I supposed to know who her mother was. I didn't think-"

"-that's the point, Damon!" Aella exclaimed, "If you don't think, you shouldn't talk! Even the Mad Hare got that!"

Stefan stared down at his brother, "What happened?"

Damon shrugged, taking a long gulp of whiskey, "She shouted and cried. Something about redeemable." He shrugged again, but Aella and Stefan could see Elena's words hit him hard. "Typical teenage tantrum."

When Aella heard the slight slur of words, she stepped forward and took the bottle of whiskey from him, smiling slightly, "You mean, strong words from someone that was hurt."

Damon could only look away playing with the glass in hand, as Aella continued, "I thought that wasn't you anymore. You wanted to change, it was important."

When Damon's eyes met hers, she could see a world of hurt in them, "Nothing is important, not anymore."

Aella passed the bottle to Stefan, "Well, I don't believe that. I think you can change."

Damon's demeanor changed as he smirked at the brunette, "Want to bet?"

Stefan frowned as Aella raised her, brows, "What have you done, Damon?"

"What?" Damon exclaimed a little too forcefully. "He attacked me."

Aella and Stefan only shared a quick glance before then ran through the house, only for Aella to run into Stefan's back as he stopped outside the parlor. Stefan groaned quietly, "Damon."

Aella didn't need to ask and pushed past Stefan to see Ric lay in front of the fire, blood staining his maroon shirt. Aella's voice trembled as she shuffled over to him, "Ric?... Mr. Saltzman."

"What happened? What did you do?"

Aella didn't turn at Stefan's voice, knowing who he was speaking to as she shakily kneeled down next to her teacher.

"Do what? He attacked me."

Aella's hand reached out to close Ric's eyes that stared towards her, and as she glanced over her shoulder, she saw it was where the chair sat.

Where Damon sat.

Where she knew Damon had sat and watched her teacher and friend die.

Her hands shook over his face, unsure what would happen if she touched him, especially after her experience with the hiker. If that vampire had built up traumatized memories if she touched Ric, would she feel Damon's? Ric's?

"All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore. It's not my fault he couldn't handle it."

Aella glared up at Damon's indifference, "You mean like you've been handling Katherine? Or like Elena? And Ric tonight."

Damon's eyes met hers, and he hated how he'd been the one to put the sorrow in her eyes, again. But she needed to hate him, so did Stefan and Elena. Just as he hated himself.

"I'm handling it fine. You know what? Isobel came to me. She found me. And if she's related to Elena, that means she's related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me."

Aella and Stefan shook their heads at the false hope in his voice, he knew just like them this was not Katherine. He just needed an excuse, and this was his.

Stefan sadly shook his head, "Stop it. You don't have to keep looking."

"Can't be a coincidence Isobel sought me out. Uh-uh. Can't," Damon pointed to Ric, and winked at Aella, "I'm assuming you'll take care of this."

Aella's glare left Damon as he left the room, but softened as they met Ric's eyes again. She felt Stefan kneel next to her as her hand shakily hovered over Ric's eyes again, "I'm afraid what might happen if I touch him, but he can't just be left like this."

Stefan kissed her head as his hand covered hers, "I'm always here for you."

That was all she needed, and Aella's hand reached down and closed Ric's eyes. Instead of a vision, a feeling flood through her body. Stefan frowned at her reaction, he could see she hadn't been pulled into a vision; her body usually tensed and her eyes glowed.

"It feels different," Aella mumbled until she was sucked into a vision and fell back into Stefan. As soon as she fell into Stefan, she was back, panting heavily, "A blonde, he was with a blonde."

Stefan looked to her, confused, "Who? Ric? What blonde?"

Aella's eyes met his, and she frowned at his words, "What?"

Stefan's eyes darted to Ric for a moment before they returned to Aella, confused ones, "The vision. What did you see?"

Aella frowned even more profound, "What vision?"

Stefan was perplexed, and when he went to ask Aella another question, Ric sat up as he gasped for air.

Aella and Stefan fell back as Aella let out a scream of surprise and fear.

"What happened?" Ric gasped, sitting up confused. "What's going on?"

Aella gulped as she and Stefan, still on their butts from where they fell back, shared a look with her boyfriend before her eyes met Ric's, "I don't suppose you know the number for the Ghostbusters?"