In Alaric's office, Stefan, Damon and I were talking about Alaric.

Stefan looked at Damon. "You didn't compel him to get her drunk."

"No," Damon agreed. "I compelled him to do whatever it takes, and considering the Ascendant is the key to her psycho brother's weird prison world, I'm sure it's gonna take her a few to open up about it."

******

I poured some booze from a flask into a coffee mug. 

Stefan looked at Damon. "You realize he is gonna kill you when he finds out what you did to him."

"My relationship to ruin, thank you," Damon told him.

"We didn't complain when you ruined yours with Caroline," I told him.

"I didn't ruin my--" Stefan started.

"Yeah," I told him. "I'm sure she's fine. She's on vacation with her mom, eating ice cream out of the carton, convincing herself she never liked you in the first place." 

Stefan took the mug from me. "You done?" 

"Careful, Stefan," Damon told him. "I know it may seem easy to be the big, bad Salvatore, but soon, you'll find yourself lying in the middle of the road, pouring your heart out to a stranger, having an existential crisis." 

"Yeah, great," Stefan said sarcastically. "So, uh, when's the grand theft gonna happen?" 

"Assuming everything went well, it's already happened, which means..." I trailed off, looking toward the door expectantly.

Alaric opened the door, walking in, handing the Ascendant to Damon. "Here it is."

"Thanks, buddy," Damon told him, handing him a tray with coffee and a bag of breakfast food. "There you go." He compelled Alaric. "Go home to Jo, be a good boyfriend, forget this ever happened." 

******

Matt had called Stefan and me to meet up with him at a diner.

We walked in to see a girl sitting at a table.

Matt and Enzo stood face to face, confronting each other.

"Enzo, leave," Matt told him.

"Or what?" Enzo asked.

"Or maybe I'll pick up where Tripp left off," Matt answered.

"Go on, then," Enzo told him.

"Hey," Stefan told them. "I really wouldn't do that if I were. You hurt him, and, uh, I hurt you, and I really don't feel like cleaning up two corpes today, especially when Kaylin here will hate me forever because Matt's her ex and Enzo's her current." 

"Unofficially," I told them.

"Making threats and complicating rather easy relationships in front of impressionable family," Enzo told us. "How brutish."

I looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?" 

The girl at the table stood up. "Me. He's, uh, talking about me. I'm Zach and Gail's daughter, Sarah Salvatore."

I looked at her in shock, looking at Stefan in confusion.

I had thought that she had died along with Gail. 

Stefan didn't look shocked. He looked confused and suspicious. 

******

Stefan, Sarah and I sat at a table together, catching up.

Sarah had been saved by C-section when Stefan had taken her mother's dead body to the hospital. 

She was telling about how she had bounced from foster home to foster home her whole life. 

I heard Enzo taunting Matt at the bar, pretending that he was eavesdropping. "Sarah's saying you're stupid, and Stefan is agreeing. Kaylin's saying that you were her worst mistake. Ooh. Now Sarah's saying you're good for nothing, and Kaylin is disagreeing. She says you're a great punch line to a joke."

"Everyone hates you," Matt told him.

"Don't be jealous you can't vamp hear because yo're a big blonde bowl of mush," Enzo told him. "Just be thankful I don't fancy mush."

I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to Sarah and Stefan.

"So after the third group home, I got myself emancipated, which is surprisingly difficult, by the way," Sarah told us.

I smiled. "Yeah. You seem like the type that would do better on your own."

"Hey, do you guys want a drink?" Stefan asked.

"Sure," Sarah answered.

Stefan flagged down a waitress. "Hey. Excuse me. Can we get three chocolate milk shakes, please?" He looked at Sarah. "It's a, uh, Salvatore family tradition."

I looked at him weirdly.

No, it wasn't. 

Stefan gave me a look that was obviously telling me to be quiet, gesturing over to Matt and Enzo at the bar with his eyes.

I nodded slowly in confused suspicion. 

He didn't want Enzo to hear us for some reason.

"I'm all for family traditions," Sarah told us.

The waitress started the milk shake blender, which was loud enough to mask stefan's words from Enzo's hearing.

"All right," Stefan told us. "Listen. In 10 seconds, you're gonna get up and walk out of here with me, smiling, acting like nothing's wrong. The acting part shouldn't be too hard for either of you." Enzo tried to listen, but he couldn't hear anything over the machine. Stefan looked at Sarah. "I know you're lying."

"Lying?" I repeated. "Lying about what?" 

"I'll explain in a little while," Stefan told me. The blender stopped. Stefan changed his demeanor back to cordial. "Ready to go?" 

Sarah barely forced a smile.

We stood, walking toward the door. 

Matt noticed, standing, starting to follow. "Hey. Where are you guys going?" 

"Oh, just a little family drive," I told him. 

"It's okay, Matt, I promise," Sarah told him. "I'll call you in a bit."

"All right," Matt said.

Sarah, Stefan and I walked out.

******

Sarah, Stefan and I were in Stefan's car with Sarah in the backseat, me in the passenger, and Stefan driving.

Stefan thought that Sarah was lying about who she was. 

"I told you, Zach Salvatore is my father, Gail is my mother," Sarah told us. "I have these pictures."

"Ah," Stefan said. "That's your big evidence, a picture you stole? You gave yourself up the second you got in the car."

"Why don't you believe her?" I asked. "What the hell is going on, Stefan?" 

Stefan stopped the car, turning to us. "I lied to you about Sarah Salvatore living while Gail didn't, but that was because I wanted to keep it away from Damon." He looked at Sarah. "But this girl? She's not Sarah. The real Sarah Salvatore is in her dorm room at Duke University, where she studies as an art major, and she didn't bounce from group home to group home. She was adopted right out of the hospital by a great family. I made sure of it."

'Sarah' was disappointed. "You know her." 

"She's our family," Stefan told her. "Even though she doesn't know me, I've looked out for her for her entire life."

I looked at 'Sarah'. "Then who the hell are you?" 

'Sarah' got out of the car, starting to run away. 

I rushed out of the car and in front of her to stop her.

"Monique," 'Sarah' told me. Stefan got out of the car, walking toward us. "My name is Monique." 

******

Monique told us about who she really was. "I met Sarah at sleep-away camp, or as my foster family liked to call it, 'Get the hell out of my house camp'. Sarah had a great life. Me? Not so much. So, when I found out that she had no desire to find her real family--"

"You decided to find them for her," I finished.

"Couldn't be any worse than what I had," Monique told us.

"Well, considering the fact that our brother killed her mom while she was pregnant, I don't know about that," Stefan told her. 

"Why did you let us believe that she died?" I asked.

"I wanted to protect her," Stefan answered. "I knew that you wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but I didn't want it getting back to Damon. Even though our brother's not the same person he was before, it's safer if he doesn't know." I opened my mouth to speak. Stefan cut me off. "I know that may be a little bit extreme, especially not telling you the truth, but I want her to have a normal life, no matter what." He looked at Monique. "See, the problem is, with you around, there's a threat now. Someone who knows her other than us." He stepped closer to her. Monique backed away. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just need you to take off your vervain." Monique took off her vervain necklace, handing it to me. I took it by the chain so I wouldn't be burned. Stefan compelled Monique. "You've never met or heard of Sarah Salvatore. Forget everything that happened here, leave Virginia, and never come back." 

Monique started to walk away.

I turned to Stefan. "So what are you gonna do about me?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "See, unlike Monique, I can't be compelled. So, what are you gonna do, Stefan? Lock me up in a cellar, leave me to rot, kill me?" 

"I just need you to promise that you won't tell anyone, not even Damon, not even Enzo," Stefan told me.

I looked at him skeptically. "That's it?" 

"Kaylin, I know you pretty much better than anyone, and you always keep your promises," Stefan told me. "So, promise me that you won't let anyone find out about Sarah."

I exhaled, lowering my arms to my side. "I promise." 

We heard a car horn honk, turning toward Matt's truck as he got out, jogging up to Monique. "Hey! You okay?" 

Monique looked at him in confusion. "Who are you?" 

Matt looked at me and Stefan. "You compelled her? Why?" 

"She's not our family, she's a con artist, and we're ust trying to get rid of her," Stefan answered. He looked at Monique. "Get out of here." 

Monique started to walk away.

Enzo rushed in front of her to stop her, startling her.

"What the hell?" Monique asked.

Enzo compelled her. "No screaming, love, and don't move." 

"Enzo, what are you doing?" I asked.

Enzo grabbed Monique, pulling he back against him. "I want the whole story, the one not obscured by the dulcet tones of a blender."

"I told you, she's a con artist," Stefan told him. "There is no Sarah Salvatore. That baby died when Damon killed her mom."

"Then why listen to this one babble on for 20 minutes, why whisk her and your sister away to speak privately, hmm?" Enzo asked. "Why wipe her memory, Stefan? She knows something." 

"Come on," Stefan told him. "Don't do this. Just let her go."

Enzo looked at Matt. "See? He's digging in. Can always spot a liar." He looked at me. "Did he tell you, darling? Come on, Kaylin. If anyone should tell me, it should be you."

I opened my mouth to speak.

Stefan cut me off. "No. She doesn't know anything, because there's nothing to know."

"Well, if you haven't told your own sister, then I'm positive that there is something to know," Enzo told him. "Now, the interrogation falls to you alone, Stefan. How about a countdown? That's fair for everyone, right? Five seconds. Four... three..."

"Enzo, let her go," I told him. "She doesn't deserve to die." 

"I just want the truth, love," Enzo told me. "You, better than anyone, knows how well I do figuring that out. Convince your brother to spill the beans."

"Listen to her, or I swear--" Matt started.

"You'll what?" Enzo asked.

"I will kill you," Matt told him.

"Will you?" Enzo asked.

I looked at Stefan. "Stefan!" 

Stefan didn't react. 

"Because Stefan's five seconds are up," Enzo told us, snapping Monique's neck, letting her body fall to the ground.

Matt started toward him. "No!" 

Stefan held Matt back. "Don't be stupid. Don't be stupid." 

"Just think," Enzo told him. "All of this could have been avoided if you'd have just told the truth. No matter. I'll find out sooner or later."

Enzo looked at me.

I gave him a look, shaking my head, turning away.

Enzo walked away, leaving.

******

Stefan and I finished putting Monique's body into the bed of Matt's truck.

"Look," Stefan todl us. "I'm sorry that Enzo killed her. He's--"

"A monster," Matt finished. "Yeah, I know." He looked at me. "A monster you seem nauseatingly close to that just blew you off and killed a girl even when you told him not to." He looked at Stefan. "And you could have stopped him, but you didn't."

"What?" Stefan asked. "You think that was easy for me, watching an innocent girl die?" 

"I don't know, actually," Matt told him. "You're not exactly the sharing type."

"Matt, I promise you that everything I do, I have thought out over and over, making sure it's the right thing I do," Stefan told him.

"So we're just supposed to trust that you know best?" Matt asked.

"No," Stefan answered. "You're supposed to trust that I'm nothing like Enzo." 

"The problem is you are," Matt told him. He looked at me. "Both of you are." I looked at him in confusion at the mention of me. "Because, now matter how close vampires get to humans, our lives will always mean less, so when push comes to shove, we'll be on opposite sides, which is what Tripp knew and I didn't."

Matt got into his trunk, driving away.

I watched him go, sighing. "Well, would you look at that?"

Stefan stood behind me, sighing. "I'm sorry, Kaylin. I never wanted for you to be dragged into this."

"Oh, but I was," I told him. "You were right, Stefan. I am caught in the middle once again between the war that's brewing between you and Enzo. You know, this whole rivalry between you two started when you killed him."

"Really?" Stefan asked skeptically. "You're gonna choose today as the day to say, 'I told you so', all these months later?" 

I turned to face him. "I just found out that our distant neice alive and well after 18 years from an imposter because you didn't tell me yourself, you compel her to forget, you make me promise not to tell anyone, and not even five minutes later, she gets killed by my half-psychotic, unofficial boyfriend, because just a few days ago, you also turned him into a vampire hunter. How did that happen?" 

"Look, Kay--" Stefan started. 

I punched him in the face.

Stefan looked at me like he knew he deserved that. "You never get tired of doing that, do you?" 

"No, I don't," I answered. "Next time an event this big comes alone, don't keep it a secret for 18 years, and maybe--just maybe--things like this won't happen."

I turned around, walking away, leaving him alone.