At the hotel I was staying at for now, I was talking privately to the manager at the front desk. 

Enzo appeared next to me. "So, this, uh, lead you were following."

"What about it?" I asked.

"Did you find anything?" Enzo asked.

I pressed my lips together, shaking my head. "Nope."

"I can always tell when you're lying, Kaylin," Enzo told me. I looked at him weirdly. "You did find something. Why aren't you telling me?" 

"Because you've done nothing to earn being told," I answered. 

Enzo raised his eyebrows at the challenge. 

I smirked. 

******

Enzo had pulled me into the hotel closet, unbuttoning my blouse, kissing my neck. "Oh, just lay it down."

"I told you, they didn't tell me anything," I told him in amusement. 

"So you want me to seduce it out of you?" Enzo asked.

"I can't be seduced," I told him. "It's a Salvatore specialty."

"You Salvatores are also monstrously secretive," Enzo told me. "Lucky for me, I'm quite gifted at unraveling the truth."

Enzo kissed along my neck, down my chest to my bra. 

I took a deep breath, smiling. "Okay. They said there's a coven in Oregon. They'd found a way to communicate with their ancestors on the Other Side before it went away. Maybe they know what happened to Damon and Bonnie. They told me that the coven calls itself the Gemini Coven. They're small and weird and don't like outsiders."

Enzo stood straight, putting his hand on the small of my back to pull me closer. "See? You did lie to me about what they told you."

I gave him an innocent look. "I just wanted you to work for it."

"You could have just told me," Enzo told me.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked, weaving my hand through his hair, pulling him closer to kiss him.

The sound of Caroline clearing her throat interrupted. 

I pulled away from Enzo, looking toward her with a smirk, pressing my lips together, only slightly embarrassed, but not at all ashamed, buttoning my blouse. "Caroline."

"Kaylin," Caroline replied.

"Well, well, well," Enzo said. "Well, there's a blast from the past." He looked between us. "Looks like Team Blondie is reunited once again."

I looked at Caroline. "Ready to go kick some ass, Care?" 

Caroline was unfazed. "Hell. Yeah."

I smiled.

******

On the road, Caroline was driving.

I was in the passenger seat.

Enzo was in the back.

Caroline was on the phone with Elena.

"You're the last person I think would object to me erasing positive memories of Damon from my head."

"Yeah, but we are literally chasing a lead. What if we find something out? Yeah, you know, what if Damon returns home and everything returns back to normal? And you're just sitting there all confused and weird?" 

"Then Alaric will bring back my memories." 

"But--" 

"But what? Go ahead, Caroline. Say what you need to say. I don't want to... pressure you into agreeing." 

"I... don't know what to say. I was actually trying to think of what Bonnie would say."

Elena sighed. "And?" 

"And... She'd say that you should do what's best for you."

"Look, I think it's great that you still have hope, I really do, but... For my own survival, I need to let him go." 

"Well, then go on with your what-would-Bonnie-Bennett-do plan." Caroline chuckled. "I'll make bumper stickers." 

Elena giggled. "I love you." 

"I love you, too," Caroline told her, hanging up.

"Girl bonding, very sweet," I told her. 

"Kaylin, you don't like Elena," Caroline told me. "And you never have. I get it, and I understand why."

"Actually, I got over that a long time ago," I told her. "Damon didn't die because of her, so she got a get-out-of-jail-free-card."

Caroline smiled a small smile.

"So, I heard you dropped out of school," Enzo told her.

"And how did you hear that?" Caroline asked sarcastically, looking at me.

"Hey, don't blame me if he listens onto my phone calls," I told her. 

"Whatever," Caroline told me. "When do we exit?" 

"Soon," Enzo answered. 

"So did you guys make up the 'Gemini Coven' lead?" Caroline asked. "Because I've never heard of them. Who are they?" 

"No idea," I told her. "I'm just going off by what those witches told me."

"And that's not where we're going," Enzo told us.

I looked back at him. "What? Wha--Wait, where are we going?" 

Enzo smirked. "You'll see."

I looked at him in confused suspicion. 

******

We arrived to Savannah, Georgia, pulling up to a house to see a woman named Ivy.

Ivy said that this was Stefan's house, walking inside. 

"Hey," Stefan told her.

"Hey," Ivy told him.

"Perfect timing," Stefan told her. "I was just, uh--"

"I ran into some of your friends," Ivy told him.

"What?" Stefan asked. "Where?" 

Enzo and I stepped into the house, no invitation needed.

Enzo rubbed his hands together. "Stefan. You are a hard man to track down. Uh, I wasn't sure if you're new... friend would invite us in, but she said that this was your place. Which means, open invitation to all your mates, right?"

Enzo walked away.

Stefan looked at me in guilt. "Kaylin." 

"Hello, brother," I told him. "Got any bourbon?" 

I stepped aside to reveal Caroline behind me. 

Caroline looked at Stefan, hurt and angry.

Stefan looked down.

******

Stefan, Caroline, Enzo, Ivy and I were sitting around the table, eating.

Enzo looked at Stefan. "Good stuff, mate." 

Stefan nodded, pleased. 

"So how do you guys know Stefan?" Ivy asked.

"He's my brother," I answered.

Ivy looked at me in surprise, raising her eyebrows. "Brother?" 

I looked at Stefan, feiging surprise. "You didn't tell her about be, big bro?" 

Stefan looked down. 

Ivy realized that this was a sensitive subject, looking at Caroline and Enzo. "What about you?" 

"Stefan and I went to high school together," Caroline answered. "He used to to date my best friend." Ivy, Caroline and Stefan exchanged an awkward look. "Not that he's not allowed to date. I mean, they broke up. I just didn't realize that he had met someone. So how did you meet, exactly?" 

"Uh, Ivy's car was in the shop, where I work," Stefan answered.

"You work at an auto repair shop?" Caroline asked skeptically.

"It's relaxing," Stefan told us. 

"Why?" Ivy asked. "What did you used to do?" 

"Ah, man of all seasons, jack of all trades," I told her.

Enzo looked at Ivy. "You have a lovely clavicle."

"Oh," Ivy said awkwardly. "Thank you. I think."

"Forgive me," Enzo told her. "I--I always notice a woman's neck. I'm a neck person. So is Stefan, right, Stefan?" 

"Not anymore," Stefan told us.

"Ah, well, that's silly," Enzo told him. "You can't just stop being a neck person."

Ivy leaned over to whisper to me. "Is Enzo your boyfriend?" 

"It's complicated," I told her. Stefan looked at me in confused surprise. "It's never simple with him. He's a complicated person."

"Uh, hello, I'm right here," Enzo told me. I looked at him, tilting my head with an innocent smile. Enzo looked at Ivy. "I have super-sensitive hearing. Practically supernatural." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to tell Ivy the truth, taking a sip of wine in boredom. "Do you believe in the supernatural, Ivy?" 

"I've... never really thought about it," Ivy told us.

"I, myself, am a believer," Enzo told her. "Had to get a witch to do a locator spell to find my buddy here."

Everyone exchanged looks, forcing laughter.

******

"So, Stefan, tell us," I told him. "This house, very charming. When'd you get it?" 

Stefan was standing, pouring a glass of wine. "About a month or so ago."

"No, more than that," Ivy told him. "Remember? We met two months ago, and you already had it."

"You've lived here for more than two months?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess I have," Stefan answered.

"Well, I guess that's just weird, because, you know, everyone thought you were living somewhere else," Caroline told him. Stefan sat down. "And your job was supposed to be investigative work, not auto repair."

"Right," Stefan said. "Well, I've moved on from that job." 

"Well, you can't move on from the investigative work until you've solved the investigation, Stefan," Caroline told him. 

"How about we just drop it?" Stefan asked. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing now, and that's all that should really matter, right?" 

I looked at him incredulously, leaning forward against the table, opening my mouth to speak.

Enzo laid a hand on mine. "There, darling. No need to make a scene. Really, it's all just some big misunderstanding. Perhaps this will clear it all up."

Enzo grabbed a fork, standing, stabbing it through Stefan's hand into the table.

Ivy screamed.

Caroline spit out her wine in surprise.

"Enzo!" I told him. 

Stefan winced in pain, looking at Enzo incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

"So many secrets," Enzo told him. "What are you running from, Stefan?" 

Enzo pulled the fork out of Stefan's hand.

The wound healed.

Ivy was in confused shock. "Um, I--I don't--"

Caroline stood, taking Ivy by the chin, making her look at her, compelling her. "Calm down, come with me. Let's go upstairs."

Caroline and Ivy walked out of the room.

I looked at Enzo. "'No need to make a scene'?" 

Stefan and Enzo looked at each other with hatred.

"What kind of coward abandons his sister and gives up on his brother?" Enzo asked.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Stefan told him, standing, rushing toward Enzo. 

I sat back in my chair in annoyance, watching them, taking a sip of wine.

Enzo held Stefan away, rushing him into the fridge, grabbing a fork, stabbing it into Stefan's neck. "Why don't you enlighten me?" 

Stefan pushed Enzo back into the dinner table in front of me, making it break into wooden pieces.

I held the wine glass in my hand, looking down at Enzo. I took a drink, looking at Stefan.

Stefan pulled the fork out of his neck. Enzo stood, rushing toward Stefan, pushing him against the wall. Stefan head-butted Enzo, making him stumble, punching him in the face, making him fall. Enzo stood, holding onto the kitchen counter for support. Stefan snapped his neck, letting him fall to the floor. 

I clapped slowly, sarcastically. "Bravo, brother. Very well done." 

******

Stefan looked at me. "You should get your boyfriend out of here before he wakes up."

"He's not my boyfriend," I told him.

Stefan shook his head in confusion. "Kaylin, what are you doing?" 

I stood angrily. "No, what the hell are you doing? Every day for the past four months, I have been traveling the world, meeting up with witches, making new friends who can help me find out where Damon and Bonnie are, and how the hell we can get them back."

"Making new friends?" Stefan repeated. "Like Enzo? The best friend of one of your brothers, and killed by the other? I guess it doesn't matter what happened or what he did as long as he's got an accent, right? What is it with you and dating psychopaths?" 

"A, Enzo's not a psychopath," I told him. "He's about half-way there." Stefan nodded sarcastically. "B, we're not dating, there's no strings attached so we don't end up falling for each other. C, if you wanna call him a psychopath, look at everything that you and I have done in the past. It's no different from what he's done, and you know it. He's just more honest about it. D, do not try to make this about him. This is about you. This is about us. Damon died, and I have been trying to bring him back, and you told everyone that you were, too, but come to find out, you gave up months ago. You haven't even spoken to me since the day that he died."

"Kaylin, we have gone for nearly 100 years without speaking," Stefan told me.

I shook my head. "You're wrong. I came to you, face-to-face, in the '20s, and then again in the '90s. And you want to know why? Because you came looking for me to apologize. So, tell me, how are you going to apologize about giving up on Damon dying?" 

"I didn't give up, Kaylin," Stefan told me. "I faced reality. I had to move on. You know, the months before I moved here, I was following every lead that Alaric sent my way. I spoke to every witch, every shaman, every psychic in 20 countries, around the globe, and every lead was a dead end."

"I have been searching for twice that long, Stefan, which means that I've been to twice as many everything," I told him. "And, yes, every lead has been a dead end, but I am not giving up. I have another lead. There's this coven in Oregon--"

"The Gemini Coven," Stefan finished. "Yeah, I looked into them, too. Kaylin, there was nothing there. Because there's nothing we can do. Damon and Bonnie are dead. I had to come to terms with that, so why aren't you?" 

"Because I'm not you, Stefan," I told him. "I'm stubborn, and relentless, and I do not give up. Maybe if you did a little less of that, then maybe we can get along just fine all over again." Stefan looked effected by my words. I took a deep breath to calm down. "Look, I know that things have been chaotic for our family in the past, but we had moved past all of that once we went home, and we stayed home, and we fought for each other. Hell, Stefan, we have even died for each other. And just when I thought that we were getting back to the way it was, it just all falls apart. And, if you want it to continue to fall apart, since it's only you and me now, then let it, because they're no use in fixing a family that died when Damon did. If you want him out of your house, you'll have to throw him out yourself."

I turned around, walking out of the house quickly, walking past Caroline as I did. 

******

Outside, Caroline was crying in the car. I got into the passenger seat, sighing.

Enzo got into the back seat. "Oh, well, that was a bit of a bust." Neither of us answered. Caroline turned her head away, continuing to cry silently. I was looking numbly ahead, still angry. "Hey. Hey." I looked back at him. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm angry and pissed off, and she's having an existential crisis," I told him. "What do you think?" 

Enzo's expression turned angry. "I'll be right back."

Enzo got out of the car, leaving.

I looked at Caroline, letting the anger fade away, taking her hand. 

Caroline looked at me, smiling sadly through her tears. 

How did Stefan have so much control over a rage of emotions over every girl in his life so easily?