A/N: Soooooo, the last 'update' sucked. I had to take a little time back to just recover from the betrayal of someone using my work for their own gain... and a monetary at that. I was just so sad. The positive thing is that the work has been removed and I have now put in place search filters so I'm aware if this happens ago, although I pray to what ever God is listening that it never happens again. But I do want to thanks all those that messaged me via the chapters I posted, PM and other means; having your support was needed and really helped me push on. I love you all!

 Annnnywayyyy, the past is in the past, we are now in 2023 and this year is going to be a good one. I do hope you like this chapter xoxo

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MYSTIC FALLS WOODS

The car had been quiet while Caroline drove her and Tyler to the cellar he would be using for his first transformation. The new sturdy chains he'd purchased sat on her back seat.

"How were you last night?" Tyler finally asked Caroline when the silence became too much for his brain. Between the arrival of Jules and the looming full moon, he needed anything to distract him.

Caroline stared intently out the windscreen, "I listened to every sad song I ever downloaded on repeat."

"Didn't Aella come round?" Tyler frowned.

"Jenna wouldn't let her," Caroline pouted. "She and Elena skipped school to go to Richmond, and Elena sneakily contacted Klaus. Instead, Elijah showed up and killed Kalus's minions. So Jenna put her on lockdown."

Tyler's brow furrowed, "I thought Elijah worked for Klaus...?" His eyes widened, "Wait a minute... I thought Elijah was dead?!"

Caroline waved off his shock, "Yeah... he's not so dead anymore." She smiled apologetically at him, "Forgot to tell you that yesterday."

"Whoa!" He settled back; now, that was a distraction.

GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

Elena pulled at the door again, scowling when it refused to budge. Suddenly it opened, and her scowl quickly transformed into a smile until she realized the spell Aella had cast hadn't dropped; Jeremy was returning from Anna's.

Elena's scowl returned, and Jeremy wondered what he did until he saw her hand on the door handle. It was hard to dispute their relation when an identical scowl formed on his own face, "Why are you on some suicide mission?"

Elena moved back to allow him to enter, "How do you know I'll go looking for Klaus?"

Jeremy closed the door with a roll of his eyes, "Because you're my sister, you've been this way my entire life."

"I'm trying to prevent everyone else from getting hurt," Elena argued back, hands on hips.

Jeremy laughed bitterly, "Oh, so, bringing Klaus the moonstone so you can get yourself killed is okay?" Elena nodded, and Jeremy blinked away the forming tears, "And what about those you'll leave behind?" Elena blinked rapidly, taken back by his tears, "Did you ever consider for one moment how we'll all feel knowing you're not here because you wanted to save us?" Frustrated, Jeremy pushed past her to go to the kitchen.

Elena turned to go after him when the door opened. Her eyes brightened when Aella walked in, though dimmed when she saw Damon following her. Before she could open her mouth to demand Aella remove the spell on her, Aella ran up the stairs, holding something close to her chest.

Damon smirked at Elena, "You should really lock your door...." The smirk widened at Aella's expression. "Oh, come on, pouty. At least give me two points for ingenuity."

Elena's nose twitched with her ire, "Do you think this is funny?"

"Yes, Elena," Damon honestly answered, walking into the sitting room. "I find hilarity in the lengths that we have to go to repeatedly keep your life safe."

Elena followed him into the room, "And what does Jenna, Stefan, Caroline say about this? They'd never agree with this."

"We had a good laugh," Damon answered as he got comfy. "Well... Jenna and Caroline laughed. Stefan just made an awkward sound that I'm assuming was a laugh."

Unamused with Damon's glee, Elena stomped to the stairs and shouted up, "Aella! Undo this ridiculous spell, now!!" Silence. "Aella!"

"She's not listening," Damon sang from his seat.

Elena rolled her eyes and ignored him, "Aella!"

"Why are we shouting?" Jeremy walked into the sitting room, mouth full of the sandwich he had just made.

Elena marched into the room and slumped on the chair in the corner, "I was shouting for Aella to remove the spell."

"Are we still on that?" Jeremy frowned at Elena as he took another bite.

"Still?" Damon repeated, raising a brow at Elena. When she didn't answer, he turned to Jeremy, "Have you seen Bonnie?"

Jeremy shook his head before he swallowed his mouthful, "I was with Anna. Why?"

Damon's eyes darted to Elena for a moment before he answered the teen, "Aella got the moonstone from the tomb. I just wanted her to know so she doesn't have to look anymore."

"Aella has the moonstone?" Elena immediately questioned Damon, just as he knew she would. "Is that why she's not answering me?"

"I can text her?" Jeremy ignored Elena, continuing his and Damon's conversation, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Then, at Damon's nod, he began to do so.

"Hello!" Elena waved at Damon, bringing his attention back to her. "Aella may have sealed me here, but she didn't turn me invisible."

"Oh my god!" Damon sat up in faux shock, looking around the room. "Did the air just speak?" He rolled his eyes at Elena's dramatics as he settled back down, "Yes, we know you're still here, Elena. It's not like you can go anywhere."

He could hear Elena's teeth grinding, "I hate you."

Damon scoffed, "Come up with a new insult; that one is getting old."

Jeremy shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and mumbled, "If you're here, who's on Tyler and the full moon?"

Damon watched the teen in disgust but answered him anyway, "Vampire Barbie asked me if she could handle it, and I said, why not? Figured if she screwed up, he'll bite her, and then I'll be rid of two of my problems."

"Hold on a second," Elena leaned toward them in surprise. "Tonight's the full moon?"

Damon's phone rang, "Yup!" He answered her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and added a scathing reply. "But you were too absorbed with all your suicidal tendencies to notice." He stood up and answered the phone, feeling Elena's scowl on him as he left the room.

Elena got up and flopped down in Jeremy's seat with a pout, "How can you act so casually with him? He killed you."

Jeremy shrugged, placing his plate on the side table, "I'm so tired of holding grudges. He's in our life now; we're going to be around each other. Why fight it?"

"Because he's an asshole?" Elena shot back at him, finding this new responsible Jeremy extremely annoying. "He's constantly belittling you. Belittling everyone!"

Jeremy shrugged again and moved to lay down on the couch, resting his head on Elena's lap. Elena opened her to continue, but Damon walked in and pointed at Jeremy, "Change of plans, you're babysitting." He smiled a little too wide at Elena, "And you, you should get out, enjoy the sun." He then winced, and Elena just knew he heard what she had said to Jeremy. "Oh wait, you can't."

Elena was quick to pick up the pillow, but Damon was gone before she could throw it. Jeremy laughed at her expression, and so she hit him in the face with the pillow before she pushed him off her and watched him roll onto the floor.

MARTIN HOUSE

Bonnie left Luka's house smiling, something she did not expect when she'd turned up with his necklace.

Luka had been surprisingly forgiving, and when she saw his dad's collection of Grimoires, he happily shared them with her. He seemed even happier to help her when she asked him how to break a bind between a talisman and a spell. He had told her that while he needed to see the talisman, he was sure he had the power, especially if he channeled her powers, the bind could be broken.

Smiling to herself, she got in her car. It seemed like not everyone held grudges when you made a mistake. Checking her phone, it seemed like fate when Jeremy texted that Aella had retrieved the moonstone and had it at home.

Bonnie turned her car towards the Gilbert house, a plan in mind.

MYSTIC GRILL

When Matt saw Damon for the first time since his return, all the anger he'd dealt with when away seemed to smash back into his body. Picking up the empty plates from the table near him, he walked in the vampire's direction. His anger only grew when Damon walked past him as if he hadn't existed.

"I will make you pay, Damon."

Damon paused at his name, knowing it was the teen he'd tried to avoid. Turning on the spot, he walked over to Matt, whose cold glare seared through him, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me," Matt said through gritted teeth as he moved towards him. "I know your kind hears almost everything." Damon rolled his eyes, and Matt furiously continued, "I know I'm not even a speck on your radar for enemies, but just know, that one day, Damon. It may be tomorrow; it may be one year or ten years. But I will have justice for Vicky. You will pay for how you treated her, made a mockery of her, and how you ended her life."

Damon stared at the teen; he could see and hear that everything Matt was saying, threatening was genuine. It was something Damon was not prepared for and did not need. He turned to leave, breathing out, "Whatever, man." He moved to leave when Matt grabbed him, and he quickly pulled the hand from him with minimal strength, Matt's eyes widening at the action, "I have to go," Damon gritted out, "before I put your head through a wall."

"Go ahead," Matt smirked, stepping back and opening his arms as wide as possible with the plates he held. "Show everyone who the real Damon Salvatore is."

"You're not worth it," Damon shrugged off Matt's arrogance. "I've got more important things to do than argue with a pathetic boy whose first thought when his girlfriend was going through the worst moment of her life was to run." He walked away, and this time, Matt did not do anything.

He finally reached Ric, who had watched the altercation with vast interest. When Damon sat down, he slid a glass of whiskey towards him, "All okay?"

"Yeah," Damon answered, though his tone was tense, and he quickly shot down the drink in one gulp. "Just a boy trying to be a man."

Alaric wanted to ask more but knew he needed Damon to be calm and focused. So instead, he pointed out Jules, "That's her."

"Mmm," Damon admired the woman. "Mason's mystery woman."

Ric swallowed nervously, "And we're sure no one will find him?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded as he got the bartender's attention and ordered two more whiskeys. "Pixie did some-" he wiggled his fingers "- it apparently protects the ground. Stops any decaying."

"Useful," Ric said as he sipped his whiskey. He looked back at Jules, "So you think she is a werewolf?"

"Well, I hope not," Damon shifted apprehensively. "Being that it's a full moon, Ric. But..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial. "We should definitely find out."

Alaric took the bottle and examined it, "What is it?"

Damon smiled at the bartender as his second drink arrived; this time, he sipped it, "Wolfsbane. I guess pixie has her uses sometimes, even if she did offer to water it down in a spray bottle for me to carry around."

Ric snorted at the thought, "Creative. Her unique version of Pavlov's Dog."

Damon smirked, "I'm just happy she's not done the same for vervain."

When they saw Jules finish her first drink, Damon looked at Ric, "Showtime."

The teacher threw back the rest of his drink and prepared himself before heading over to the woman.

LOCKWOOD CELLAR

Tyler looked at the chains they purchased in confusion, unsure how to securely attach them to the wall as Caroline watched on, "Please tell me you brought the instruction manual."

Tyler snorted, "Tell me you brought the wolfsbane."

Caroline's eyes widened, and she winced as she realized that she'd forgotten the one thing Tyler had asked of her. "Tyl-"

"-I thought you might need this...." Caroline and Tyler jumped as Stefan walked into the cellar with the vial in his hand. He nodded at the chains Tyler held, "Need some help with them?"

Tyler smiled in relief at his friend, and when Stefan stepped closer, he happily handed them over, "Thank you."

Stefan only shrugged, handing Caroline the wolfsbane, "Well, it was either here or listening to Elena yell at Aella for locking her in the house."

Tyler's eyes widened, "She what?" He turned to Caroline.

Caroline winced, "Did I not tell you that?"

Tyler nudged closer to Caroline, concerned, "Are you sure you're okay to do this?"

"Yes," Caroline smiled thinly. "I can do this. Matt coming back has just thrown me off a little."

Tyler seemed to accept that and looked at the vial in her hand, "So that's the only thing that can weaken me?" He took it from her and examined the liquid; he uncorked the lid and studied the minuscule amount on the cork. His littlest finger barely touched the fluid before he felt a searing pain and pulled back with a yelp. As he re-corked the lid, his eyes narrowed on Caroline, "How'd Aella even get this?"

Caroline chuckled, taking the liquid back, "I try not to ask Aella such questions."

Stefan smirked to himself as he attached the chains to the wall, "Like the time you let Aella buy a farm to grow vervain?"

Caroline smiled awkwardly at the vampire; she wasn't aware that was public knowledge. Tyler walked to his bag and pulled out a water bottle, "We can mix it in there."

"Careful," Stefan warned as he attached the second chain. "That's pure wolfsbane; it's pretty potent. If you're gonna drink it like Mason did, it needs to be weak. Even the weakest amount will weaken you."

Caroline nodded and began mixing the liquids as Tyler approached Stefan, watching him finish the chains, "The guy at the hardware store said this set-up could hold up to 5,000 pounds."

When Stefan finished, he pulled on them, using his full strength to test them. When they barely budged, he nodded at Tyler, "They're good." Then, he looked at the bars, "These...." He shook them and saw them loosen, "These I'm not too sure about."

Tyler nodded, "I thought the same; it's why I bought the stronger chains."

"They'll hold this time, don't worry," Stefan quickly assured Tyler. "We'll fix these up before the next full moon."

Tyler took a deep, shaky breath as his eyes focused on the chains again. Caroline, who had been watching them, inched closer, "How are you doing?"

"Still human," he joked before he pulled off his shirt.

Caroline's face suddenly went red, and she turned away as he walked back into the cage, "Oh my god, you're not gonna get naked, are you?"

Stefan pretended to examine the bars more as he heard Caroline's heartbeat increase. It seemed things would be as interesting here as they would be with Aella.

GILBERT HOUSEHOLD

"Aella!"

Aella stuck her head out of her room at Jenna's shout, "Yeah?"

She half expected Elena to chime in; after all, she'd been shouting her name just as loud all day. Instead, however, it was just Jenna who asked, "Can you help me with this box?"

Running down the stairs, Aella smiled when she saw Jenna on her tiptoes, trying to reach a box that was nowhere near her grasp. "Which box?"

Jenna gasped at her appearance; she'd been so focused on the box. With a bright smile, she pointed up at the top box labeled 'archives' when she turned back to Aella, she pouted, "I'm too short."

Aella let out a short laugh, "And you asked for me?!"

Jenna's eyes flickered from Aella to the box and back, "Can't you...?" She wiggled her fingers.

"Play imaginary piano?" Aella smirked, amused with Jenna's charades.

Jenna straightened up, not as amused, "I mean, use your magic."

"Oh!" Aella held up a hand to her mouth.

Jenna was not amused with Aella's mockery and pointed at the box, "Just bring the goddamn box down!"

Aella giggled; she lifted her hands and began to lift the box down. However, to irk her guardian, even more, she wiggled her fingers like Jenna did, watching the box float in the air. The box landed in Jenna's hand, Jenna's brow taught with her vexation with the teen. She walked off, and Aella quickly followed, her eyes on the box, "What's in the box?" She froze, "It's not a head, is it?"

Jenna sighed with frustration, "I knew allowing you to watch se7en was a bad idea." She paused outside the kitchen, "It's my sister's files from the Historical Society. I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood...." The doorbell rang, and Jenna glanced at Aella, "Do you mind getting that?"

"With my magic?" Aella wiggled her fingers.

Jenna just walked away, and Aella giggled as she walked to the door and opened it. Her giggles halted as she looked upon a familiar face and her eyes widened.

"Hello, Aella." Elijah smiled smugly.

Aella's hand tightened on the door, praying Elena, Jeremy and Jenna remained where they were, "What do you want?"

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat."

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A/N: A MASSIVE thank you to the user who shared the idea of a wolfsbane in the spray bottle, I've had the idea written down, but lost the name of the user. Please let me know your name so I can share credit. 

Love you all! xoxo