"What kind of monster tries to kill their grandchild?" Zeke gasps incredulously.

  "The kind that is willing to destroy a town to become more powerful," Stefan answers flatly.

  "It's more than that," I add in, turning my back on Leo's corpse and finally raising my gaze to meet everyone's eye. "She is angry that my mom left her, that she abandoned the life that they had. I think part of it is a sort of pay back, for the pain she felt."

  "I don't know," Elena mumbles, fisting her hand through her hair to push it away from her face, "your mom probably wouldn't have run away if she wasn't already like this... at least a little."

  "That's a good point," I consider, nibbling on my lip as images of angry villagers and needless death fills my mind once more. My heart aching at the memories that flowed from my mom to me, giving me the insight I need to begin understanding what is going on.

  "I don't think it matters why she is doing this," Damon cuts in, his voice hard with resolve, "I say we rush in and take her down."

  "We can't just attack," Stefan argues.

  "Why not?" Damon snaps back, "She can't do anyone any more harm if she is dead."

  "She won't let you kill her," I mumble, my anxiety rising as I imagine her furry if I do not do as she wishes.

  "She won't have a choice!" Damon declares, his eyes hardening as he levels me with a steady stare.

  "No, I have to go," I announce, trying my best to stand tall and determined.

  "There is no way we are going to let you just walk back into her evil claws!" Zeke shrieks, his voice quivering as he glances around at everyone in a panic.

  "She doesn't really have claws, they are just a bit bony," I respond automatically, my mind not focusing on the words I am saying, more talking just for the sake of answering. Already my thoughts are focused on trying to come to terms with what is most likely to become of me.

  "He is right though," Elena agrees, taking a gentle hold of my shoulders and forcing me to look at her, "you are not going to go back to that church. We will not let her hurt you."

  "I'm not worried about me," I admit, "I cannot bare to think of her doing any more harm to this town. To everyone I care about," I finish by stepping out of her grasp and lowering my site to the floor.

  My mind is screaming to get away, even as my body yearns to give in to the comfort that is so easily within my reach. Rejecting my bodies wishes, as well as Elena's open arms, I suddenly feel empty. Cold as ice, and as alone as I have ever been. I wrap my arms around my chest, in an attempt to chase away the chills as well as to guard myself from those around me. My nails dig into my arms through my sweatshirt sleeves as I hold on to myself tightly, fighting against the trembling that I can already begin to feel.

  I need to distance myself from them, I need to convince them to leave. If they try and help me, they are only going to get hurt.

  "And we cannot bare to let anything happen to you!" Elena exclaims, her voice rising with the urgency of the situation.

  "And I appreciate you guys so much for that," I say with a small smile, glancing between each of them "but you have to let me do this. It's my mess, I have to fix it."

  "Like hell," Damon objects, "this is about all of us."

  "It's my family that is the problem!" I retort, not wanting to have to argue about this any longer.

  "Evelyn wouldn't have sent us after this, if we weren't able to do anything," Elena reasons.

  "Evelyn?" Zeke asks, glancing at me with furrowed brows.

  "The old crone," Damon answers without hesitation.

  "The sight seer," Elena corrects with a stern glare.

  "It's true though," Stefan interjects, "she specifically said that we had to tame the darkness."

  "What does that even mean?" I whine, my voice going shrill as my anxiety gets the better of me.

  "We will figure this out," Elena comforts, trying to reach out for me once more.

  "No," I roar with a stamp of my foot, stopping her in her tracks. "You guys cannot risk yourselves for this!"

  "What if we don't go in fighting?" Stefan offers, not acknowledging my momentary temper tantrum.

  "You cannot be suggesting that we give in to her demands," Damon demands, his fists clenching at his side.

  "No, but there has to be another way," Stefan continues.

  "What if we set a mutual ground?" Elena suggests, grasping at any idea.

  "To like, negotiate?" I ask skeptically, not able to see how anything they suggest could end well.

  "We do not negotiate with terrorists!" Zeke proclaims, raising a fist in the air with determination.

  "I don't think she is a terrorist," I answer dismissively, even as a small smile tugs at me lips.

  I try not to look in his direction, not wanting to encourage him. There is too much at risk to get him all riled up. I love the way that even in the face of all that is happening, he has never given up on me. Even when there is no chance that he would be able to stand against what she is threatening, he never loses that fighting spirit.

  I love every part of him, and that is why I need him to get out of here. Even if for the moment I snuff out that spark that makes him so vibrant, I need to keep him safe.

  "She is spreading terror, isn't she? I think that makes her a terrorist," Zeke decides with a stubborn nod of his head.

  "Still, we aren't the government," I continue curtly.

  "Well, together I am pretty sure we are more powerful than the government," Zeke starts to go on one of his excited ramblings when he pauses, "Wait!" he gasps as a thought strikes him and he turns to Stefan and Elena with wide, curious eyes. "Are there monsters in the government?"

  "Will you stop referring to us as monsters," Elena sighs with a small shake of her head.

  "One fight at a time Zeke," Stefan instructs.

  "Sorry," Zeke mumbles, glancing down as his cheeks begin to turn pink.

  "Seriously though you guys," I sigh, impatience grasping at my nerves, "this isn't something we can just sit and discuss over a cup of tea."

  "That's it!" Stefan exclaims as he points at me, excitement evident in his voice. A sly grin slowly spreads across his face as he allows the idea to fully take life within his mind.

  "You want to fight this with tea?" Zeke questions skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him.

  "Of course not, but what about the coffee shop?" Stefan continues, his voice rising as if preparing to rally the troops.

  "No," I shut the idea down before he can even elaborate. I will not pull Jim or anyone else that I care about into this mess.

  "We could send her a message. Suggest a meeting like you were saying," Stefan nods to Elena, "we would all be there to stop anything from going wrong."

  "Are you kidding me?" I yell, not wanting to here anymore of what he has to say. "How can any of you stop something from going wrong? This whole situation is wrong! All this is going to do is make her mad and get you killed!"

  "What if she doesn't know we are there?" Elena suggests, not willing to give up on the blooming plan.

  "Trust me, she will know," I argue with a stern shake of my head.

  "How?" Stefan pushes, a stubborn set to his jaw as he considers me closely.

  "I can feel you," I answer with an embarrassed shrug.

  "What does that mean?" Damon wonders, his eyes probing me as if he should be able to see everything that is happening to me.

  "I don't know, I can just feel you guys in the room," I mumble, feeling completely out of my element. "It's like this weird connection," I try to explain, holding my hand up to the back of my head, "Like a pull in my mind that links me to the dead."

  "That is so creepy," Zeke mumbles under his breath.

  "Tell me about it," I agree, wrapping my arms around my body once more for comfort.

  "Fine, then we will make sure she knows we are there," Damon decides.

  "Right," Stefan concurs, his enthusiasm rising as a plan unfolds, "we will surround her. Make it a threat, so she knows that there is nothing that she can do."

  "You guys don't get it," I interject, trying to keep my emotions under control, yet a slight hint of annoyance is laced in my words. "She is the one in charge, not us. We can't just waltz in there like we have the upper hand. She is powerful, she can kill us!"

  "We can kill her," Damon argues, not even taking time to process my words.

  "She will know if we try, like I said, she will be able to feel your every move!" I counter, my irritation rising.

  Why aren't they listening to me? They are all so ready to just throw themselves in harm's way. Don't they understand that she will kill them?

  I can't let that happen. This is my fault, it is my responsibility to fix.

  "Reza, aren't you just as powerful as her?" Zeke asks almost hesitantly, glancing once more at the body that lies at the edge of the room.

  "He did kind of make it sounds like that," Elena agrees, nodding in Leo's direction.

  "Maybe, I guess," I shrug, not wanting to talk about the thing that has awoken inside of me. "If I understand what happened correctly, when I unlocked my power on accident, I also got my mom's that was trapped in the book."

  "So, then you should be able to bring her down!" Zeke exclaims, pumping his fist in the air.

  "I don't know how to do anything!" I shout, not able to stop the childish stomp of my foot.

  Sure, I will definitely do anything I can to stop her from hurting another person, but they can't just think I will be able to snap my fingers and she is over.

  "Well, what if you got a chance to look through the book?" Stefan suggests, rubbing the back of his neck as he tries to think of a solution.

  "She would have to bring it if she was going to try and do the ritual again, right?" Elena continues.

  "Oh," Zeke interjects excitedly, "you can pretend to be interested in joining her! Leo said she might want that. Then you can start looking through the book as if you were suddenly interested in all the things you could do. Then wham, you got her!"

  "Stop it!" I order, my hands clenched to fists at my side as I stomp my foot once more. "This is not a game! Do you not get that people's lives are in danger?"

  "What would you rather do?" Elena asks, her own irritation rising in her voice. "Just walk in there and let her have what she wants?"

  "That is not happening," Damon interjects sternly.

  "No, she will not get this power that mom died trying to stop." I vow, even as I am unsure of how I will manage it.

  "Then we have to do something," Stefan adds, standing up taller as if announcing he is ready to go.

  "No, I have to do something," I bellow, jabbing my finger into my chest for emphasis.

  "You are not alone," Elena argues, taking a step in my direction only to stop when I turn my glare on her.

  "Yes, I am!" I disagree, "I am the one that let this out. I am the one that put everyone in danger. I am the one she is after. I am the one that has to stop this!"

  "But you don't have to do it by yourself!" Zeke argues, ignoring my anger he runs to myside and throws his arms around me.

  "Ugh," I groan as I duck out of his embrace and step away from him. My lips tighten into a scowl as I try to control myself, but panic, desperation, and urgency start clawing away at me. "I don't want you to come with me!" I shriek, my chest tightening as the words leave my mouth.

  "We are not sending you to the wolves," Elena argues.

  "Or the zombies," Zeke adds.

  "No, you're sending me to my grandmother," I counter stubbornly.

  "Will you be able to kill her if you have to?" Damon asks, his voice making me jump ever so slightly.

  He has been unusually quiet, which I have almost appreciated. I can handle arguing with everyone else, but he makes my resolve waver. More than anything I want him with me. Want him to be by my side as I face the demons that I let loose. I can't though. I can't keep putting him in danger.

  "I will do what I have to," I answer quietly, glancing up at him.

  "And what if she tries to kill you?" Damon pushes on, taking a small step towards me.

  "I will handle it," I state, taking an equally small step away from him.

  If he gets too close to me I don't know if I will be able to stay strong.

  "So, you expect us to go run and hide, while you face this alone?" His voice takes on an edge to it, his eyes hardening ever so as he continues to move towards me.

  "Yes," I answer as strongly as I can, raising my chin in defiance even as I continue to back away from him.

  "You expect me to just sit back while you put yourself in danger?" Damon keeps his voice low, his words obviously only for me. This isn't about everyone else anymore, this is just between us.

  I can feel the anger radiating off of him, a warning that he is just barley keeping himself in control. If I didn't trust him so much, I would almost believe myself in more danger from him than anything else.

  "I want you to go," I command, keeping my voice steady even as I feel my back hit the wall.

  I am trapped, nowhere for me to run. He finally stops, barley a foot away from me, and stare down at me intently. His cold, blue eyes baring into my very soul and devouring my every movement. My heart thrashes against my chest, beating even faster as I realize he can probably  hear it.

  "Your lying," Damon argues, his jaw clenches as he narrows his eyes on me.

  "Go!" I shriek, momentarily losing my control as my desperation gets the best of me.

  "You know I can't do that," he answers simply, not once considering my words.

  "This is the part where you walk away," I shout, tears pricking my eyes as a stare into his dark gaze.

  "Stop it!" Damon demands as he takes a final step closer to me, standing just inches away. My skin tingles at the anticipation of his touch, but I refuse to give into him.

  "No, you!" I plead, barely being able to keep my voice from wavering. My heart flails within my chest, but I hold my ground. I cannot give in to the emotions that are wailing inside of me. "Don't you get that everything is falling apart?"

  "Don't you get that I love you too much to leave?" Damon confesses, his words shattering the walls I tried so desperately to build around myself.

  My breath catches in my throat as my mind tries to process his words that seem to echo around inside me. He couldn't really mean that, could he?

  Before I get the chance to ask, Damon is in motion. His hands grab onto my waist, pulling me into his embrace. My skin is on fire at his touch, managing to ignite a passion within me that I did not know I possessed. My hands respond on their own, grasping onto his broad shoulders as if my very life depended on holding him.

  My heart flutter sporadically as his soft lips cover mine in a deep and hungry kiss. His fingers dig into my skin as he pulls me harder against him, my body held tightly to his making it seem as if we are even more connected. I feel as if I am melting against him, my mind emptying of everything other than the feeling of his touch. It's as if nothing in this world matters any more, the two of us here in this moment is all that I need. A need I didn't know was there until he evoked it within me.

  All too quickly he is pulling away and reality starts crashing in around us once more. A soft whimper escapes me as the connection between us is severed, my fingers clawing at his shoulders in a desperate attempt to keep him in place. A satisfied smile spreads over his lips as he leans his head against mine for just a moment longer, enjoying being in each other's arms for as long as we can.

  "Then its settled," Damon whispers to me, his breath feathering my warm cheeks, "we do this together."

  Part of me wants to try an argue again, to declare that nothing has been settles. A bigger part of me is afraid to try and speak, to try and create words while my brain is still in a haze after my first kiss. The thought makes me feel like I am floating, like I might actually be in a dream. I had my first kiss, and it was wonderful.

  Damon takes my silence as an agreement, and the look of relief has me hesitating even more to argue. Before I can think of what to say to him, his hands are removed from around me, leaving me suddenly cold and off balance. My cheeks burn as I glance around to see Elena and Stefan pretending to have found something more interesting to pay attention to. Zeke on the other hand doesn't even try to hide the fact he saw everything, he beams at me with a wide grin.

  I roll my eyes at him before glancing away, not able to acknowledge what really happened. My mind is spinning, and my heart is dancing around my chest.

  I need to focus, I cannot let love get me distracted. Oh god, Love. Did he really say love? Oh yea, he definitely did. My stomach twists as his words echo inside me once more, warming my very soul. A new strength bubbles inside me, giving me a confidence I never felt before.

  I can do this. No, we can do this.

  "Coffee shop you said?" Damon asks as he strides into the kitchen.

  "Yea," Elena decides before anyone can start a debate once more.

  "Ok," he mumbles to himself as he tears a piece of paper loose from the notepad beside the phone.

  "So, are we sending a note to her or something?" Zeke wonders, finally tearing his gaze from me.

  "Unless you know a number we can call for her," Damon jibes as he scribbles furiously on the page.

  "Well how are we going to get it to her?" Zeke continues.

  "I figured Nereza would be able to manage that," Damon returns to the living room, the note in one hand, a knife in the other, and his smirk once more in place on his delicious lips.

  "What are you doing with that?" Zeke gawks as he jumps away from the sharp object.

  "Don't be so scared," Damon says with a small shake of his head at Zeke, "after all this, you think I would stab you?"

  "You are unpredictable," Zeke mumbles, watching him with unwavering eyes as if Damon were a wild animal.

  "Fair," Damon admits, chuckling softly as he shrugs his understanding. "Still, this is not for you."

  "Okay..." Zeke says the word slowly, as if he is not yet fully convinced.

  "We want this message to be something she will notice, right?" Damon finally explains, turning his back on us and crouching beside the lifeless body at the edge of the room.

  Without waiting for a response, he swiftly stabs the knife right into Leo's chest. A collective gasp echoes in the room, no one quite understanding what it is he is doing. I stare at the blade in horror, my stomach twisting with unease and disgust.

  That went into him far too easily.

  "Was that necessary?" Stefan questions with a cock of his head.

  "Well, if we just put the paper in her pocket she wouldn't really see it, now would she?" Damon quips, standing up and stepping out of the way.

  Finally, dragging my gaze away from the knife I notice the yellow lined paper has also been pierced in place. Large scrawling letters fill the page, only telling her the location. No other details, nothing explaining what we are after. Just where to find me.

  "Do you think she will really show up?" Elena worries aloud.

  "She will just have to," I answer, my voice cracking ever so slightly as I finally agree to their plan.

  "So, what do you say?" Damon holds his hands out to Leo, and invitation for me to step in.

  "I'm not entirely sure what I am doing," I admit, taking a shaky step towards the crumpled corpse.

  "You already know you can do it," Damon encourages, "so just do what feels right."

  "You can do it!" Zeke cheers, earning himself a small smile from me.

  "Ok," I take a deep breath as I steady me nerves, "rise!" I command with a raise of my arms.

  Everyone stays still, no one daring to even breath as all eyes stare at Leo, searching for any twitch of muscle. The air heavy with anticipation, and yet nothing happens.

  "Maybe you need a spell?" Zeke asks, finally breaking the silence with a shrug of his shoulders.

  "No," Damon answers for me, "she didn't say anything special in the cemetery."

  "Then what's different?" Stefan wonders aloud, his eyes darting between Damon and I for answers.

  "Well, I wanted to talk to my mom." I offer, not sounding all too convinced.

  "Try it with more emotion, maybe?" Elena guesses.

  "Don't think of it as raising Leo, just think about needing to get the message to that woman," Stefan suggests.

  "Right," I agree with a nod.

  Taking a deep breath once more, this time I close my eyes. Who needs anything overly dramatic, there is already too much drama going on in my life. No, instead I will just concentrate on what I need. Focus, just like Stefan said.

  Images slowly come to life within my mind, the sight of Leo standing and slowly walking across the floor.

  I do not open my eyes as I hear a labored breath from in front of me, ignoring the gasps that echo around the room.

  I continue to imagine the body making his way to the church, not stopping until he reaches his destination. A pressure builds in the back of my mind, only growing stronger as I hear his limbs scrapping against the floor boards. I do not need to see him, I can feel him scrambling to his feet. The ties in my mind pulling at his body like a puppet on a string. For the first time since I discovered this truth, I feel the power that I truly have.

  I finally open my eyes when I hear the door being opened, and I catch just the smallest glimpse of Leo's back rushing down the front steps. Much better than the first time I brought him to life, he is fully upright and walking like every other person would. If you didn't know better, you would think he was just running late to school.

  "Wow," Elena breaths, walking to the front door and watching Leo disappear in the distance.

  "Well that's easier than having to try and hide his body," Damon comments to himself.

  "Yea, did not want to have to try explaining that to Dad," I allow myself to giggle softly.

  "Good riddance," Zeke shouts after Leo, brushing his hands together as if to rid himself of something nasty. "I never liked him much anyways."

  "Liar," Damon grumbles, walking past Zeke without paying him any other attention.

  "Yea, you are the one who introduced him to us," Elena points out, a small smile twitching at the corner of her mouth as she glances back at him.

  "Oh, come on, you cannot blame this all on me," Zeke whines, staring at everyone in shock.

  "Of course, we don't," Stefan reassures him, holding onto the door and motioning for everyone to leave ahead of him.

  "But, still..." I allow myself to trail off and shrug, enjoying a moment to tease Zeke.

  "You know what," Zeke interrupts before anyone else can say something more. Standing tall he crosses his arms across his chest defensively, "At least I learned something out of all this."

  "And what's that?" I ask with a small laugh.

  "I would rather just have my tight circle of friends that I can truly trusts, than a bunch of other people that are just ok to hang out with!" he declares proudly.

  "Aw you're so sweet," I tease, poking him in the side as I head towards the door.

  "Besides," he continues, a grin spreading across his face as he jogs to keep up with me, "a small group of friends is probably safer. Three out of four murders are committed by someone who knows the victim."

  "Is that true?" Stefan questions as closes the door behind us.

  "I read it somewhere," Zeke shrugs, "now let's go finish this thing!"