Damon and I were in a bar in the middle of nowhere.

Stefan pulled a man inside, putting him on the bar.

"What'd he do?" I asked.

"Speeding," Stefan answered. "He's yours if you want him."

I raised my glass. "I have a drink, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Stefan told us, transforming, biting the man on the neck, feeding, pushing him off of the bar to the floor on top of the pile of bodies that were already there, picking up a bottle to drink from. "You're distracted."

"Oh, yeah?" Damon asked. "Well, your standards are dropping. You can't tell me Cade gets out of bed for a midlife crisis on a motorcycle."

"Cade's work takes time," I told them. "This is how we pass it." Damon's phone rang. We saw that it was Sybil calling. I gave Damon a look. "Don't answer that."

Damon glanced at us, picking up his phone, turning away to answer. "The evil lackey you are trying to reach is no longer at your service."

"There's that Damon sense of humor that I missed. Where are you?" 

"Oh, you know. Different city every night. Salvatore world tour."

"I'm gonna need to ask you a favor. Do you still have that iron ball you scooped up off Peter Maxwell?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So, I'm gonna need you to pause your murder spree with your brother and sister and drive to Mystic Falls and deliver me that ball." Damon turned to face Stefan and me. Stefan and I shook our heads. "If you're nodding, I can't see you through the phone. So, what do you say, Damon? Yes, or... yes?"

I shook my head. "No."

Damon sighed. "I'm on my way."

Stefan and I gave Damon 'what the hell' gestures.

"I'll text you the details."

Damon hung up.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked. "We work for Cade now. We're done with the Sirens."

"I know, but every time I try and tell her no, my mouth says yes," Damon told us.

I thought for a moment, taking the bottle from Stefan, starting to pour it over the bodies behind the bar. "You know, maybe a trip to Mystic Falls..." I looked at Stefan and Damon, smiling, winking. "Is exactly what we need."

"It is?" Stefan asked.

"You want to know why you're so distracted, Damon?" I asked. "It's because that woman is still in your head." I took out a lighter, lighting it. "Mm?" I tossed the lighter on the bodies behind the bar, setting the all ablaze. "And we are going to burn her to the ground."

 ********   

Stefan, Damon and I were dressed for the pageant of Miss Mystic Falls, walking into the Lockwood Mansion.

Bonnie and Caroline were in the foyer, shocked to see us.

Stefan nodded to Caroline emotionlessly, smirking.

"What are you even doing here?" Caroline asked.

Sybil walked closer. "I invited them. Don't worry. As long as I get what I want, I'll make sure they behave."

Stefan, Damon and I smirked.

******** 

I was in the foyer, drinking.

A girl walked toward me. "Are you Kaylin Salvatore?"

I sighed, turning to face her. "So, what if I am?"

The girl smiled. "I have something for you."

The girl pulled back her hair to bare her neck.

I chuckled sarcastically. "Who do I have to thank?"

Sybil walked toward us. "Your friendly neighborhood Siren."

I sighed in annoyance. "I can find my own meals, thank you very much."

"Clearly, but oddly enough, you haven't really delved into your deal with Cade as much as I thought you would have," Sybil told me. "Aren't you supposed to be turning angels into devils in his name?"

"Yes," I answered. "Which is why it's such a pain in the ass when you yank on my brother's supernatural leash."

"Actually, it seems that dog has slipped its collar," Sybil told me. "Your brother's been resisting my influence. I don't know how." I smirked in realization. "But if Damon's faltering on the job, don't blame me. Blame--"

"Elena," I told her. "He's able to resist you because of this place. Miss Mystic Falls. You made a mistake by bringing him here. This stupid pageant is the day that Damon realized that he could take Elena from Stefan." Sybil sighed. "In his mind, this place, this event, was the beginning of their vomit-inducing love story."

"I thought I'd erased her influence over him from start to finish," Sybil told me.

I chuckled. "Elena Gilbert never really goes away."

"So, how do we win him back?" Sybil asked.

"I'm sorry," I told her sarcastically. "Are you under the impression that I'm working for you? Because I'm so not. I'm working for the Devil for my own needs, so I don't need to have any interaction with any Sirens. They're annoying, anyway."

Sybil gave me an offended look.

I smirked, drinking my champagne, walking away.

********

Caroline was introducing the girls inside the foyer. "Allow me to introduce this year's Miss Mystic hopefuls. Violet Fell, escorted by Ryan Ashton."

Violet, the girl that Sybil had sirened to walk up to me, walked downstairs.

Stefan and Damon stood next to me.

"I'm ready to get out of here," Damon told us.

"You didn't hand over that stupid ball Sybil wants," Stefan told him.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

"Well, because fighting Sybil is keeping our brother from being the brother that I want," Stefan answered.

"This has something to do with me not pulling my weight with Cade?" Damon asked. "I think you're killing enough for all of us."

"No, that's not what I mean," Stefan told us. "You know, when we set out on the road together, I really thought it would make us a family again. But we can't seem to go anywhere without the past coming back to haunt us. And I'm not just talking about Damon, Kaylin."

"Then what are you talking about?" I asked.

"This place, memories," Stefan answered. "The last official date that you had with Klaus was at a Miss Mystic event a few years back, after he gave you that bracelet that you're wearing back at the ball from the '20s." I rolled my eyes, sighing. Stefan looked at Damon. "Dancing with Elena, ratting me out for drinking out of blood bags."

"It's not my fault you fell off the wagon," Damon told him.

"But you could've helped me in my time of need," Stefan told him. "Instead, you were standing right here, falling for Elena as she walked down those stairs, while Kaylin was looking for me. You think this is where your love story began, but the truth is, Damon, Elena never would have looked at you twice if I had been there that day."

"It's old news, Stefan," I told him. "We don't care about anything anymore."

"Really?" Stefan asked skeptically, knowingly.

I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Stefan took Elena's necklace from Damon. "Then why are you still holding onto this? Mm? You know, when I gave this to Elena, it was to protect her from you." He ripped the necklace apart, looking at me. "And you, you wanna try so hard to convince us that you're emotionless, but I can see it in your eyes, Kaylin. Your humanity is not completely off. It's on the dimmer switch, and that bracelet your wearing is helping you keep it that way."

"What's it to you?" I asked. "You wanna try and take it from me and destroy it, I'll stake you."

Sybil walked toward us, looking at Stefan. "Shall we?"

Stefan and Sybil walked away.

Caroline walked toward Damon and me. "Tell me you're not listening to him. He's not himself. Okay?"

"We haven't been ourselves lately, either," I told her. 

"I already lost Stefan," Caroline told us. "I'm not losing you to Sybil's sabotage."

Caroline took Damon by the arm, leading him outside toward the others.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"You did this dance, with Elena," Caroline told him. 

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Damon told her. 

"It meant something to you," Caroline told him. "And this event, this place, it only means something to you because of the feelings you attached to it. Your lizard brain is trying to remind you of the truth."

Caroline and Damon started the dance with the other girls and guys, including Stefan, Sybil, Bonnie and Enzo.

I stood on the stairs, watching them, listening.

Sybil looked at Stefan. "Your brother and sister seem a bit..."

"Damaged?" Stefan finished. "You're welcome."

Sybil chuckled. "I've never seen a war between the conscious and subconscious before. Should be interesting."

I saw Damon and Caroline dancing.

"How is a stupid pageant supposed to remind me of feelings attached to something I haven't even forgotten?" Damon asked.

"Just dance," Caroline told him. "And trust that Elena is right here dancing with you."

I saw Bonnie and Enzo dancing.

"For the sake of argument, if Elena Gilbert weren't tied to your mortality..." Enzo trailed off.

"Would I become a vampire for you?" Bonnie finished.

"Well, you said even if you wanted to," Enzo told her. "So, would you... want to? Purely theoretical, of course."

"You know, it's funny, 'cause a year ago, I would have been offended by the question," Bonnie told him.

"Well, you were a witch," Enzo told her. "You were raised a certain way."

"Oh, it's more than that," Bonnie told him. "I've watched Damon, Stefan, Kaylin, Caroline and Elena struggle with it for so long. And all I saw was how hard it was for them to just live."

"What changed?" Enzo asked.

"I fell in love with a vampire who makes me feel alive," Bonnie answered.

I saw Damon and Caroline dancing.

"There's another way, you know," Caroline told him. "We can fight Sybil."

"Does this have something to do with that stupid metal ball?" Damon asked. 

"The striker is the final piece to the weapon," Caroline told him. "If we use it, maybe we can break her influence over you."

Stefan and Sybil interrupted the dance between Damon and Caroline.

"May I?" Stefan asked, pulling Caroline away to dance with her.

Sybil started to dance with Damon.

I saw Enzo and Bonnie dancing.

"No loss, no grief, no end," Enzo told her. "Together, always."

"If becoming a vampire just meant that you and I would be together forever?" Bonnie asked. "Yes, I would turn for you." She stopped dancing. "But that's not all it means to me." She took off the necklace she was wearing that had a vial of Enzo's blood. "I can't wear this. If it's a promise of anything more than my love for you."

Bonnie walked away.

I saw Damon and Sybil dancing.

"When this is over, Damon, you are gonna thank me for sparing you so much pain," Sybil told him.

"Or murder you for squatting in my mind," Damon told her.

"Oh, please," Sybil told him. "If this little Elena girl is the voice of your humanity, I'd be afraid to face her, too, considering what you've done."

"I'm not afraid to face my humanity," Damon told her.

"Oh, Damon, you should be," Sybil told him. "What do you think it's gonna feel like if you keep fighting?"

"You and I will be over," Damon told her. "Forever."

"That'll be a nice little side-effect," Sybil told her. "But what's really gonna happen is, eventually, your humanity is gonna flood back and crush you. You'll be consumed with guilt for killing Tyler Lockwood. For kidnapping Alaric and Caroline's children. For turning Enzo against Bonnie. For selling Stefan and Kaylin's souls to Cade. And if we're really honest, for stealing your brother's girl."

Damon backed away. "You gotta stop that right now. I can't take any more of this."

"You're finally getting it," Sybil told him. "Fighting means feeling, and both are useless. Your soul is damned anyway, so just give up, give in, and give me what I want." She circled around Damon, rubbing his shoulders gently. "Stick with me, Damon. The path of least resistance, I promise. It will hurt way less than reality."

"I hid the striker upstairs," Damon told her. Sybil smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll take you."

Damon and Sybil walked away.

I watched them go suspiciously.

********

I was watching Damon and Sybil inside from the shadows.

Damon picked up the striker.

"Good boy," Sybil told him. 

"One last thing," Damon told her. "When you were mucking about in my subconscious, did you ever take the time to understand Elena? Hmm? Her capacity for forgiveness."

"Damon, you're slipping," Sybil told him. "Remember what you've done."

Sybil reached out for the striker.

Damon grabbed her arm to stop her. "Oh, I do. I remember all of it. And even though I can't feel a damn thing for Elena, the more you try and push her out, the more I understand she's never going away. And there's not enough room in my head for both of you."

Sybil angrily grabbed Damon by the head to try and get into his mind.

I grabbed Sybil, slamming her head onto the nearby table hard enough to kill her temporarily, knowing that she would be back, letting her fall to the floor. I looked at Damon, smiling proudly. "Told you that we would burn this bitch to the ground."

Damon smiled.

********

Damon and I stood over Sybil's unconscious body.

"If you want help to torture this bitch..." I trailed off.

"No, I'm good," Damon told me. "I wanna do this alone."

I nodded. "All right. Then I want to let you know that I'm hitting the road. Alone."

"What?" Damon asked.

"I finally admitted to myself that Stefan's right, and I didn't turn it all the way off like I was supposed to," I told him. "I guess that I never really wanted to. But I do have most of it off, and while I don't give a damn about most things, I still care about some."

"Like your promise to Klaus?" Damon asked in boredom. "Does this have anything to do with his compulsion?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't care. All I know is that if I keep riding with Stefan, he's not gonna stop until I have it all the way off, to total emotional abandonment, and I have too much to do to turn it all the way off. I only agreed to the deal with Cade because he used the Mikaelsons to get to me, and if he lied to me about being able to save them, I need to figure out a way to kill the Devil and still find a way to save them myself. Which means I gotta hit the road, and while I'm doing all of that, I still have to do my work for Cade, in case he's not lying and actually telling the truth." I took the striker from Damon, looking it over. "I'll be in touch."

I walked away.

********

I was walking through a hallway when I heard Stefan and Caroline outside.

"Stefan, what did you do?" Caroline asked.

"I see we're down to our finalists," Stefan told her. "You can go now. I know you're not gonna want to see this."

"You let them go."

"Why? You knew all along I'd have to kill people for Cade."

"Evil people and murderers. These girls are innocent, Stefan."

"Exactly. Such exemplary young women. They have no idea that the world is out to crush them."

I heard bones breaking as if someone snapped a neck.

"No!"

"Don't worry, she'll be back."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have each one of these promising young women a little taste of my blood."

"You're turning them?"

"You're inspired me, Caroline. Who would have thought that a Miss Mystic Falls would become engaged to a servant of Cade? Look in the mirror. Vampirism is a one-way path to Hell."

********

I went downstairs to see that Caroline was sitting down because Stefan had thrown her down after she had tried to save the girls.

Stefan was holding a girl by the neck, threatening to snap it.

"Unlike you, I can control my bloodlust," Caroline told him. "Not all vampires are evil."

Stefan shook his head in agreement. "No. But we're engaged, Caroline. That means we're in this together. You're not just an innocent bystander if you let me kill for Cade. So unless you want to call the whole thing off, blood is on your hands, too."

Stefan went to snap the girl's neck.

I rushed up behind him to stake him in the heart, making him gasp in pain. "Not everyone is as good at this killing thing as we are, Stefan." I let Stefan fall watching him desiccate and die temporarily, taking out the striker, tossing it in my hands. "You may never win a beauty pageant again, but, uh, here's a little consolation prize." I tossed the striker to Caroline. "Whatever that is."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Caroline asked.

"Because I'm not as far gone as I lead people to believe," I answered. "I still do the job, though. Think of it as a parting gift. I'm going back to work, for everything."

"What if something happens and we need you back here?" Caroline asked.

"It's called a phone, Caroline," I told her in annoyance. "Use it."

I walked away.

I knew that if something happened, I would care just enough to come back and try to fix it, just like I cared enough to fix other things, but I could not care about the guilt about the work that I was doing, because if I did that, then, well... bad. 

Dimmer switch was a bitch because emotions could be all over the place, from nothing to anything, but I liked to have it right in the middle so that I didn't have to feel everything.