CHAPTER 31: KNOW THY ENEMY

The Gilbert House

The night Isobel decided to come to the Gilbert house Natalie didn't notice much. She noticed a little yelling and then she heard the sobs coming from Jenna's room and Natalie guessed that Jenna found out about either Elena, Natalie or Alaric knowing that Isobel was still alive. Maybe the answer was all of them. And Natalie would have ran to comfort her but she didn't think Jenna would accept it and she was too busy planning a revenge plan for Isobel.

But she couldn't think about that when Elena woke her up in the middle of the night to tell her what happened and they agreed that they'd call Alaric first thing in the morning seeing as he was the one who could probably explain it the best.

"Hey, is she up yet?" he asked as he walked through the door.

"No, she refuses to come out of her room." Natalie answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What'd you tell her?" he asked the brunettes worriedly.

"Nothing. She won't talk to us." Elena responded, pursing her lips together silently.

Alaric closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "We're gonna have to fix this, guys."

And as on cue, Jenna walked downstairs, tear streaks still on her face but they were now accompanied by a glare.

"Hey." Elena greeted softly.

"Jenna." Alaric sighed.

"Look-" Natalie didn't get to finish her sentence before Jenna cut her off, the appearance of Alaric pissing her off immensly. "I don't want you here, Ric. You need to go."

Alaric didn't budge, he wasn't about to let the woman he's in love with walk away without him having a chance to explain. "Okay, listen. I can't begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now."

"Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it." Jenna retorted angrily as she picked up her jacket and slid it on as she grabbed a bag.

"Where are you going?" Natalie asked taking a step forward.

"I'm going to stay on campus. I have a thesis to write, and I don't want to be in this house." Jenna snapped, sending the brunette a harsh glare.

Alaric still wasn't backing down. "Jenna, please just stop. Let us explain to you exactly what is going on."

"Elena, I need you to go to the Lockwood's today and accept the Historical Society's check for your mom's foundation. Bring Natalie if you want." Jenna instruced her niece sternly.

"Okay, but, Jenna, please just..." Elena trailed off, her face twisted into a sad grimace.

"I don't have it in me to hear any more lies from you." the strawberry blonde snapped, grabbing the door handle and letting herself out before smashing the door closed.

"Jenna, just..." Elena trailed off, even if Jenna wasn't even in the house anymore.

"Let her go," John said as he walked out of the kitchen, having listened to every word in the conversation. "It's better that she's not here, what with everything that's going on but maybe had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning, this-" he was cut off by a fist colliding with his face.

"Sorry, Natalie, Elena." Alaric apologized, holding his aching fist in his hand before walking away.

"I love you!" Natalie called after him happily with a wide smile.

"Love you too!" she heard faintly before the door closed.

"You know this is your fault, right?" Elena asked John as she was smiling at Alaric's previous action.

"Right." John agreed.

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Caroline decided that after their happy reunion she could tell Matt about her vampirism. That was not a good idea, seeing as she completely lost track of where he went and he wasn't happy and there was no way that she could compel him to forget.

Her first thought was to call her best friend/non-vampire vampire mentor for advice. And she did, and she explained whatever happened whilst Natalie listened patiently.

"I can't find him anywhere. He's not at home. He's not answering his phone." Caroline rambled desperately.

Natalie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Tell me again, what part of you thought letting him go would be a good idea?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "My mom walked in. He took off. I didn't know what to do."

"Okay, did your mom hear anything?" Natalie asked.

"No. She just thinks we're fighting but he knows about me, and he's freaking out about Vicki." Caroline answered, referencing to Matt's late sister.

"Just... find him and calm him down. Even compel him if you have to. Is he even on vervain anymore?" Natalie asked pacing across her room.

"I slip it into his soda when he's at work, but I didn't get to last night, so it's out of his system. He has a catering shift at the Lockwood's today. I'm gonna try there." Caroline rambled once again.

"Elena and I are going there so we might be able to help you. But good luck." the brunette said.

"Thanks." Caroline responded before hanging up.

Natalie sighed and threw herself at the bed. "Why is my life so screwed up?"

"I don't know, but maybe it would help if you'd come downstairs." John said, leaning against the door frame.

"Why?" Natalie asked, not even bothering to sit up.

"I've got something important to tell you. Elena and Stefan are coming too." he said.

"Fine." Natalie agreed. "But this better be good."

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It wasn't good.

Maybe exciting, untriguing, thrilling maybe even complete idiocy on John's part.

But definetely not good.

Having Isobel Flemming turn up out of no where wasn't the ideal scenario of what Natalie could expect from what John told Natalie.

"Get out." was her first words as she saw Isobel standing with Stefan and Elena as they were waiting fot John and Natalie.

"She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her, okay?" John pleaded, his mind convincing him that Isobel would always protect her daughters.

Elena turned to Stefan questioningly, and he didn't answer in anything but turning to Isobel and saying: "Alright, what do you know?"

"Actually, I'd like to know if you knew anything about why Klaus wants me." Natalie said, cutting Isobel off from her start of formulating a sentence.

"I don't know," Isobel lied, something the others didn't pick up on as the compulsion used on her was enough to keep her from showing any signs of lying that she'd usually show. "All I know is that it's something very important to him that doesn't really have anything to do with the sacrifice."

Stefan, Natalie and Elena all sighed in relief as at the revelation of the fact that Natalie was most likely going to survive this.

"Okay, what else do you know?" Elena asked, her need for information about what might endanger her being large.

"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you two." Isobel explained, her eyes darting between her twin daughters at the end of her statement.

"Best chance at what?" Stefan asked.

"Keeping Elena alive and Natalie safe." John answered this time.

Elena turned towards her biological father with a harsh glare. "You don't get to talk, okay, not after everything you've done."

"Did you find Klaus?" Natalie asked, ignoring Elena's probably justified rudeness.

"No. Nobody knows where he is but there are these rumors that are flying around. That a doppelgänger exists. And I heard the name Natalia from someone in his inner circle, I'm guessing that's Natalie." Isobel responded.

"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture the both of you." John interpreted Isobel's long explaination.

"I'm not buying any of this," Elena shook her head before turning to Isobel. "The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about either of us. Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?"

"Isobel's been helping all along. Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them." John defended his first love.

"Also almost killing Stefan and Damon in the process." Natalie casually threw into the conversation.

Isobel walked closer to her daughters. "I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your names. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you."

"You wanna help? Then get the hell out of my house." Elena snapped.

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The Salvatore Boarding House

Of course, Stefan, Elena and Natalie's first instinct was to talk to Damon about everything, seeing as he was the 'responsible' adult. Or maybe just because he was the stronger vampire. Either way, they explained everything as well as they could before going into the regular discussion that always seemed to happen.

"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth that word's gotten out about the doppelgänger and whatever the Natalie thing is?" Elena asked the two brothers that were in love with her.

"Look, I don't trust a word that she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning." Stefan responded looking incredibly worried for the two girls he was in love with.

"You know, you guys should just stay here. It's better for us to keep an eye on you." Damon proposed casually.

Stefan disagreed right away. "What, in the house that any vampire can enter? No. Elena's house is safer."

"Well, then we'll stay there." Damon shrugged.

"So basically neither of you are going to let us out of your sight again?" Natalie asked rhetorically, grimacing as to show her disagreement with the plan. Natalie needed some Natalie time once in a while.

"Let me know when you come up with a better one." Damon retorted, to wich Natalie responded to by grimacing mockingly.

"Fine," Elena agreed with the plan, making Natalie look at her with wide eyes. "Then one of you two bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood luncheon."

"That'd be me." the bunny hunting vampire smiled at the twins.

Damon somehow thought that his words would give them a totally different look on Stefan's answer. "Not me. I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie."

"Does that mean that you're taking her to the-?" "Shh." Damon cut Elena off.

The reason why was soon exposed as Katherine walked out from hiding. "Don't get quiet on my account. If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell," She got no response. "Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hmm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now all you have is a moonstone. Or so you tell me."

"No, we have it." she actually got a response this time, the respondent being Damon.

"Where is it?" Katherine raised an eyebrow at the elder Salvatore brother.

"It's in a very safe place." Damon said.

Natalie snorted as soon as she heard this. She wouldn't really call a bowl full of soap a safe place.

"I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor." Katherine glared at the quartet.

"Ehm, Katherine, I think you're mistaking the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust." Natalie retorted.

Katherine glared at her doppelgänger's sister. "Fine. Be that way." And then she walked away.

"I will!" Natalie called after her.

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The Lockwood Mansion

So a trio of a kind of love triangle walk into a mansion, and there everything goes to hell. Joke ended.

But in all seriousness, Stefan, Elena and Natalie were having an important conversation about Matt running away from Caroline after she told him about her vampirism.

"Hey. Any luck finding Matt?" Stefan asked, seeing as Natalie filled him in as he was her mentoring mentor.

"None. What if he tells somebody? What if he tells everybody?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening more and more for every word she said.

"If we find him we can keep that from happening." Natalie reassured the taller blonde.

"Do you have any idea where he would be?" Stefan asked Elena, making Caroline have to suppress the jealous feeling building up in her.

"I wish I did, but he wasn't really one to run." Elena responded, frowning in concern for both of her blonde friends.

"You know, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. You know, I was supposed to tell him at the right moment in the right way, and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me." Caroline rambled sadly.

"We'll help you find him. I just have to accept this thing for Jenna." Elena told the blonde to stop her rambling.

"All right. Well, call me when you're done, and I'll be out looking for him." Caroline gave the three a short smile before leaving.

Elena was obviously sad, so Stefan decided to cheer her up. "Maybe he'll come around. You did."

Natalie had to suppress a gag.

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And Elena was accepting the thing for Jenna as a room full of people stared at her, Carol Lockwood announcing her coming.

"And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers-Gilbert scholarship fund is Elena Gilbert." Carol smiled.

The olive-skinned brunette smiled as she walked to join Carol. "The Historical Society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family and would be honored and touched by this gift."

Her speech was interuppted by the sound of something falling down the stairs. Everyone ran, of course, worried that it might be something important. A death or something.

Well, it was, but not a permanent one seeing as Isobel killed John as he was wearing the Gilbert ring, making sure that he'd come back.

And Elena and Natalie was about to follow the heard, but was quickly grabbed from behind, someone holding their hands over their mouths.

"Nice dress," Katherine complimented Elena. "Mind if I borrow it?" was her last words before smashing the twins's heads together.

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Grove Hill Cemetery

Although Elena awoke before Natalie, the younger twin still had some time of conciousness before getting pulled out of the car by one of Isobel's minions. Actually, she had no time of conciousness before getting pulled out of the car, seeing as getting pulled out of the car was what woke her up, and she was completely disoriented, but she saw her sister and her mother were both there so she was already sure that everything would go to hell.

"So is that what happened? You were compelled to betray Katherine?" Elena asked as Natalie fully woke, meaning that she actually had the energy to partake in the conversation.

"If I was, I couldn't tell you." Isobel retorted.

"You lied to us. You did find Klaus and he knows exactly where we are doesn't he?" Natalie asked, her eyes wide with betrayal even though she saw it coming.

Isobel didn't answer. She only walked closer to a tombstone that Natalie recognized instantly.

"Your tombstone." Natalie commented her observation, remembering reading "In loving memory - Isobel Flemming - Jan 18, 1978 - May 4, 2007" way too many times.

"My parents, your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body," Isobel said before turning to Natalie. "Do they still call you every week?"

"Grandma and Grandpa will never stop." Natalie responded sadly.

Isobel nodded sadly as she thought about the three members of her family still being close. "They visit every week, and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here. The Isobel they knew is dead. So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the-the human part, the part that I abandoned when I-when I choose to become a vampire, the part that used to dream about the day that she'd reunite her daughters."

"What?" Elena asked stupidly.

Isobel shrugged in response. "And instead you got to meet the other part...The part that would betray her own flesh and blood."

Then the brunette vampire's phone rang and she took it, ignoring her daughters who were glancing at each other as they grabbed each others hands for comfort.

"Yes. Let them go? I'm done?" was all the twins could hear from Isobel's side of the conversation. She hung up with a look of relief on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Elena. I was such a disappointment to you. And I'm sorry for hurting you so much, Natalie. I love you." Isobel smiled slightly at her daughters, her gaze resting on Natalie as tears gathered up in her eyes as it was the final time she'd get to see the face of the person she loved the most in the whole world.

Natalie quickly realized what Isobel was doing as she grabbed her daylight necklace. "No! Natalie yelled, grimacing as tears gathered up in her eyes as Isobel ripped her daylight necklace off and catching fire.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Natalie tried to run forth as her mother kept burning on top of her own grave, but Elena ran desperately in front of her, as she tried to keep her own sadness away to help Natalie with her clearly superior one.

As Isobel finally ended up as ash, Natalie didn't bear to fight anymore as she sobbed violently into Elena's shirt. The older twin holding her sister tightly as she stroked her hair comfortingly.

Isobel Flemming was offically dead.

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Natalie and Elena did get in contact with the Salvatore brothers, but they had to wait a while for them to pick them up. During that time, Natalie collected Isobel's ashes and spread them over her grave, so she'd finally be where she was meant to be all along.

And after that, they had nothing to do but be in pain. And Elena felt the need to comfort her sister.

"I know how it feels Natalie..." Elena started with, feeling like this way a great way to open it.

"I don't care if you know what it feels like! I know how it feels like, I've lost her before but then she came back and now I lost her all over again!" Natalie snapped, even though her glare was usually intimidating, the tear streaks on her cheeks didn't help the cause.

"Natalie... I just- I just thought things changed between you. I thought you wouldn't be as affected." Elena said, sitting down next to Natalie (who was sitting on the grass).

"Changed?" Natalie chuckled without humor. "There is only one person in the world who you can never be really mad at. One person who can screw you over yet you still care. And that's your mom. You never stop loving your mom, Elena! And the worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them." Natalie swallowed harshly as tears gathered up in her eyes.

Elena saw, and quickly wrapped her arm around her younger twin. "It will be okay."

"No it won't. Why me? Why her? Why us?" Natalie sobbed.

And Elena had no idea.

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The Salvatore Boarding House

The Salvatores and Elena decided that it was probably best to let Natalie wallow in her own grief for a while instead if joining in on a conversation about precautions and what they were going to do next, seeing as they all knew the pain of losing a mother. But once John came back to life, Elena wanted to talk to him, and they thought it best if Natalie joined in. So Natalie blew her nose, wiped her eyes and put her chin up and was ready to have a conversation with the one half of the parents she now had left.

"I always knew that she and Katherine were close, but I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet they were genuinely friends." John said bitterly.

Even though Natalie was mad at him for talking about her newly deceased mother that way, she wasn't about to start a fight now. "If you thought so lowly of her, why did you even help her?"

"Because I was there when she gave birth to you, Natalie. I saw how heartbroken she was to give Elena up. So heartbroken that she couldn't lose you both. And because she was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe...I believed her. At this point, I will do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go." John said.

He got no answer, even though Natalie just had no idea what to say Elena just stared at him. John was saddened by the lack of response taking it as a hint to leave.

But then Elena spoke up. "You screw up everything, John. Everything you touch just falls apart. But you're the only parent I have left...so maybe I can learn not to hate you."

John looked at Natalie expectantly. "We said we'd try right? I've been really bad at that whilst you've been trying your best. I think it's time that I return the favor." Natalie smiled sadly.

John smiled back. "Okay."

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A/N: Sorry if this chapter was choppy but I was going through family issues and I just needed to get my emotions out with this chapter. Basically everyone was mad at everyone and it was all my fault because I said something I shouldn't have. But you guys don't really care but I just wanted to give an explanation for why it mught have been bad seeing as I was crying for 30 minutes straight before writing this. But a special thank you to two of the best girls I know, AKA the other parts of the newfound voidsquad, AKA Void_Malia and Void_Kira because even though you didn't know you still helped me through it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM IDOLPH

Votes and comments are greatly appreaciated.