After what Bonnie told us about Katherine being the queen of Hell now that Cade was dead, we of course called an emergency meeting at the boarding house between Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie and me, while we talked to Matt, Alaric and Dorian over the phone, who were at the Armory. Dorian, who had once kidnapped Stefan and nearly killed him because Stefan had killed his family in a Ripper binge a few years back, but didn't have the heart to finish the job and let him live, but had files given to him by Matt that linked Stefan to dozens of murders just in Mystic Falls over the last few decades in case Dorian decided to have Stefan locked up.

"All right, professor," Damon told him. "How do we get rid of the queen of Hell?"

"Are you sure Katherine's in our world?" Alaric asked.

"When Cade crossed planes after the eleventh ring of the bell, other souls could step through, too," Bonnie told us. "Same way Kai did. Katherine would have jumped at that chance."

"Then why haven't we seen her yet?" Caroline asked. "I thought by now, she'd be strutting around, making demands, or trying to get us all killed."

"Maybe she's bidding her time," Stefan told us.

"Or putting her own plan together," I told them.

"Either way, you're gonna need a new weapon," Dorian told us.

"Is that Dorian?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah," Alaric answered. "I've asked Dorian to take point on our research front."

"This doesn't mean you and I are cool," Dorian told him. "I still have those files on you, so I'm here to hold you accountable for the rest of your God-given life."

Stefan looked at Bonnie and me, clearly speaking to more than just Dorian about more than just his family, but about Enzo too. "I hope that you do."

Bonnie and I exchanged a look, looking down.

"So what have you guys come up with?" Caroline asked.

"Cade was killed with the dagger that was made from his bones," Dorian told us. "It was fused into glass by a white hot flame. First things first, though, I don't suppose you know where Katherine's bones are."

"Huh, whoever thought she'd have done us a favor?" Damon asked. "We've got every last one of Katherine's bones in the cave underneath the old church, leftover from a Traveler barbecue she had when she tried to possess Elena."

"But fusing the bones into glass?" Bonnie asked. "How do we make that kind of weapon?"

"Would putting the bone in a metal dagger do the trick?" Matt asked. "My parents are in town. I can ask my dad for help."

"Parents, plural?" Caroline asked.

"Unexpected family reunion, so now I got two nightmares to deal with," Matt told us.

"Gossip later, townies," I told them. "Damon, Stefan and I will go on bone fetching duty."

"Dorian and I will research an alternative to fight her," Alaric told us.

"See, if Katherine's back, that means Hell still exists," Dorian told us. "We need to figure out a way to break her link to Hell."

"These psychic dimensions are tied to emotional trauma," Bonnie told us. "Cade created his when he was burned at the stake. I created mine... when I saw Enzo get murdered." Stefan looked at Bonnie and me sadly. I looked down, sighing. "I'm just saying, maybe there's a way to destroy the dimension itself. Destroying Hell destroys her."

"Great," Caroline told us. She looked at the phone to speak to Matt, Alaric and Dorian. "You guys are on Hail Mary miracle duty." She looked at Stefan, Damon, Bonnie and me. "So how do the rest of us get Katherine to show herself?"

"Easy," Damon told us. "She's obsessed with Stefan, and insanely jealous. If she sees anyone making him happy, she won't be able to control herself. So she'll have no choice but to come out of hiding."

"Your point?" Caroline asked.

"My point is, we shove Stefan's happiness in her face," Damon answered. 

"We throw the one party Katherine would never miss," I told them. "Who doesn't love a wedding?"

We all looked at Stefan and Caroline.

  ******** 

While Bonnie and Caroline were at the house with Rae and talking about the wedding and Stefan and Enzo and other things, Stefan, Damon and I went to the tomb to get Katherine's bones.

I looked at Stefan. "How those vows coming?"

"Eh, I'll go out on a limb and say that Katherine won't let the ceremony get that far," Stefan told us. 

"Caroline and Bonnie are probably already rehearsing," I told him. "You don't want to seem unprepared."

Stefan stopped walking, sighing. "Kaylin..."

"Stefan, I've had enough apologizes for the last couple of days," I told him.

"Well, I haven't apologized enough," Stefan told me. "And it's never going to be enough."

"Look, what happened to Enzo is gonna haunt us for the rest of our lives," I told him. "Bonnie's, too. But the you standing with us right now... the you that's gonna marry Caroline Forbes tomorrow, the you that I have known for almost 200 years... you didn't do it. Evil, nasty, Ripper Stefan did it. And you are not him. You hear me?"

"Do you really believe that?" Stefan asked.

"I have to," I told him. "'Cause if I don't..."

I didn't know how to finish, looking down, sighing. 

"I get it," Stefan told me sadly in sympathy. 

Damon sighed, looking concerned for both of us but trying to lighten the mood. "Good." We walked down the tomb. "Did you know you can get ordained online? Did it this morning. You are looking at a bonified justice of peace."

We saw Katherine's bones on the table in front of us.

I made a face. "Oh, rise and shine, Kitty Kat."

Damon picked up the skull, moving the mouth as if it was talking. "Hi, I'm Katherine, the bitch that will destroy your lives for all eternity." 

Damon made the skull laugh.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay."

"Why don't we just get what we need and get out of here?" Stefan asked.

"It's pretty fitting, though," Damon told us. "The woman that started this whole mess is back to try and end it."

"I wouldn't say it was all a mess," Stefan told us.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked. "Look at the path she sent us down. Ripper sprees, the Originals, the Cure, Silas, the Other Side."

"I'm just saying..." Stefan trailed off.

"Prison world, Gemini twins, Heretics," Damon told us. "And don't get me started on..." He made the skull move again, speaking in a high voice. "Doppelgangers."

Damon made the skull laugh again.

"I'm just saying, we had some good things happen to us, too," Stefan told us. "Right?"

"That's very glass half full of you, brother," I told him.

"Well, I have to think that way, otherwise I go to a very dark place," Stefan told us.

I reached into my bag. "All right, all right, before this turns into a sob fest..." I pulled out a bottle of bourbon. "I think we can all use a drink."

I opened the bottle, taking a drink.

Damon smirked, taking the bottle from me. "Happy bachelor party, baby brother." He picked up Katherine's skull again. "Oh, you can celebrate with us, too." He poured alcohol into the skull's mouth, handing the bottle to Stefan. "Sorry for the lack of exotic dancers, you know, short notice and all."

Damon smiled.

  ******** 

Human Stefan's tolerance was a joke. He was so drunk that he was nearly unconscious by the time that Damon and I dragged him home.

"All right, home at ten," Damon told us. Caroline turned to face us, holding Rae. "Human Stefan is a lightweight."

Caroline gave us a look. "Damon... Kaylin..."

"It's not our fault, Caroline," I told her, lightly pushing Stefan onto the couch so he could lay down. 

"Impromptu weddings call for impromptu bachelor parties, or in this case, just three siblings drinking the night away," Damon told us.

I turned to Caroline, looking at Rae, smiling. "Hi." Rae smiled. "Come here." 

Caroline handed Rae to me, walking toward Stefan to cover him up with a blanket.

Stefan groaned drunkenly. "Oh, please don't be mad at me, Caroline."

"I'm not mad at you," Caroline told him, giving Damon and me a significant look. She looked at Stefan, smiling. "Thank you for my present, by the way."

Damon put a can underneath Stefan so that he could have it in case he needed it.

I turned to Caroline. "Let's leave Stefan and Damon to have a guy moment. I need some girl time with my future sister-in-law. It's your last night as a single gal. Let's blow this Popsicle stand."

Stefan turned to face the floor.

Damon helped him situate so that he was hovering above the can. "No. That is a ten thousand dollar rug."

I gestured to Caroline to follow me.

Caroline smiled, walking with me to the door.

  ******** 

Caroline and I were in Rae's nursery, helping her sit up on the floor. 

I gave Caroline the bottle. "All right, I got one more."

Caroline shook her head. "No. No, no more practice speeches."

I put my hands lightly over Rae's ears, giving Caroline a teasing look. "Shh, shh, shh." Caroline sighed. "Okay, listen. Come on, come on. Up." Caroline and I held up two shot glasses. "To a Mystic Falls mom, who started out by hating me and my brothers, and became one of our closest friends. She was strong, she was loving, and not only did she protect this town, but she raised an incredible daughter." Caroline was clearly touched and moved by the speech, tears in her eyes. I smiled a small smile. "That I now get to call family. To Liz Forbes. Gone... but never forgotten."

Caroline and I clinked our glasses, drinking. 

"God, I miss her," Caroline told me.

"I know," I told her. 

"I hate that she is not here," Caroline told me. She sighed. "Bonnie's not coming, my girls can't be there, Elena won't be there."

I chuckled. "Hold that thought. Damon?"

Damon walked toward us, showing Caroline Elena's necklace. "So, I remember when you gave me this, at Christmas. You said it was for future me, a guy who would one day ask for your forgiveness."

"Is this you asking?" Caroline asked.

"Let's save that for another Salvatore bonding night, why don't we?" Damon asked. We chuckled. Damon linked Elena's necklace around Caroline's wrist like a bracelet. "I just wanted you to know that Elena will be with you tomorrow." Caroline nodded, on the verge of crying. "But just so we're clear, I want that back."

Caroline and I both chuckled.

Caroline smiled, nodding. "Something borrowed. Got it."

  ******** 

It was the next day.

I was in my bridesmaid dress, dressing Rae up in a cute little flower girl dress.

Stefan and Damon walked closer, wearing their tuxedos.

"At least Cade's soul is having a lasting effect on her," Damon told us. "She can still feed without anymore death."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He looked at me, smiling a small smile. "You both look amazing."

"Thank you," I told him. "Cade said that Rae would be pretty much a psychic immortal that grows as long as she feeds, and that means that she can't be killed, except by him, but he's gone. So he can't take her away from me. Not anymore. I doubt that Katherine could, either."

"Well, it would be nice to have three flower girls," Stefan told us. "Alaric changed his mind about having Lizzie and Josie out of the wedding. We know that Katherine could smell them out even if they weren't there. So, I called in a favor from Valerie. Turns out she has a soft spot for Gemini twins. She put a protection spell on them, so they'll be safe, no matter what. I asked her if she would do the same for Rae, but she knew what you just told us. Rae wouldn't need it. Not with Cade gone."

"Peter already made the dagger," Damon told us. "He gave it me earlier. We're all ready to go."

I nodded. "Yeah." Stefan took the dagger from Damon. "Maybe we should hold onto that."

"No, I'm the bait," Stefan told us. "I should."

Stefan was trying to fix his tie, but he couldn't get it right.

I couldn't help a small smile, turning to Damon, handing Rae to him. "Hold her." Damon was surprised but agreeable, a little awkward and unsure, but it was cute and funny. I turned to Stefan, fixing his tie. "Hey, know this. If Katherine lays a hand on you, I will cut her up into tiny little pieces, and I will serve her at the wedding buffet."

Stefan chuckled. "It's nice to know that even when you're upset and angry at me, you'd still do anything to protect me."

"You're still my brother," I told him. "That's never gonna change."

Stefan looked between me and Damon. "I hope I get to see you have this one day." He looked at me. "Not necessarily a wedding and vows, because I can't ever see you getting married, not even to Klaus, because you don't get the point of vampire weddings, and I know that he doesn't, either." I chuckled, looking down, taking Rae from Damon. Stefan looked at Damon. "But you want a human life with Elena, and a wedding. And I hope you get it. I just want you both to be happy. Loved." He put a hand on Rae's shoulder lightly, looking at me. "Family."

"Well, I want all of you to be there, too," Damon told us. "Because I'm gonna need a best man, bridesmaid and flower girl. Wonder how big Rae is gonna be then." He looked at Stefan. "And hopefully your hero hair hasn't fallen out by then."

We all smiled small smiles.

  ******** 

Stefan, Damon and I walked down the stone steps of the Lockwood mansion toward the wedding outside. I was holding Rae, who was holding the rings.

"By the way, I think you may have gone a little bit overboard with the number of compelled guests," Stefan told us.

"Well, I mean, Stefan, we had to make it look authentic," I told him. "Katherine knows your girl's not gonna have a small, intimate gathering."

Stefan nodded. "Ah."

We reached the alter.

The live orchestra started to play a song from 1864.

"The traditional opening waltz at the Founder's Ball," Damon told us. He looked at Stefan. "The exact same one you and Katherine danced to in 1864. She won't be able to resist."

  ******** 

The wedding began.

Bonnie led Josie and Lizzie down the stone steps toward us.

Josie and Lizzie tossed flower petals around as they went.

Caroline walked down the staircase.

Stefan was taken by her beauty.

Everyone stood.

Stefan and Caroline both smiled.

Caroline handed her bouquet to Bonnie, walking toward us.

Stefan took her hand. He looked at the blue lapis lazuli necklace Caroline was wearing. "Where did you get that necklace?"

Caroline frowned in confusion. "You gave it to me."

"No, I didn't," Stefan told her. "That's Katherine's."

"Seems she accepted our invitation," I told them.

Caroline started to take the necklace off. "She snuck into our house?"

"She's a villain," I told them. "What do you expect?"

Stefan stopped Caroline. "No, no, no. Keep it on. We want her to see you wearing it."

"You think she's already here?" Caroline asked.

In the crowd, Matt and his mother Kelly were sitting together.

"Dad should've been here by now," Matt told her.

Kelly shrugged.

Damon began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two epic lovebirds in official matrimony. Stefan has found the woman of his dreams, and he's going to share the rest of his human life with her." Bonnie looked down. "But before we begin, if anyone has any objections to this union, please speak now or forever hold your peace. Yep. Speak right now. Anyone?" Kelly stood, walking away, leaving. "As in... now. Right now." We looked around, but there was no sign of Katherine. Damon sighed. "Well..." Matt stood, following his mother. "Well, it seems like no one's objecting, so we will continue with the ceremony."

"We will?" Caroline asked.

"You betcha," Damon answered. "Do you, Stefan, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Stefan answered.

"And do you, Caroline, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Damon asked. "To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do," Caroline answered.

"I believe the bride and groom have chosen to write their own vows," Damon told us.

"We haven't," Stefan told us.

Caroline shook her head.

I shrugged. "Oh. Well, just wing it." I winked. "Go."

Stefan thought for a moment, trying to decide on what to say. "Caroline, you've been my--my friend, my conscience, my sounding board. You saw light in me when all I saw was darkness. You saved me from despair. You told me once that I would fall madly in love without realizing it, and that's what happened." Caroline chuckled, looking down. "Day by day, bit by bit, year by year... with you."

Caroline smiled. "I remember saying that to you. We were dancing at my prom. It's funny the things that we remember out of all the years that go by. I remember how you told me that when I was ready for you, you would be ready for me. I'm ready now. I think apart of me has been ready for this day since the moment I first saw you. The new mystery guy in the hallway at school." Lizzie and Josie were smiling from next to Bonnie. "I will always remember this moment. A hundred years from now, I will remember this moment for the both of us."

I smiled a small smile.

"Wow," Damon told us. "Kaylin, Rae, rings."

I took Stefan's ring from Rae, handing it to Caroline.

Rae had been playing with Caroline's ring. Stefan held his hand toward her. Rae looked up at Stefan curiously, letting the ring land on the palm of his hand.

I smiled. 

Stefan smiled, turning to Caroline. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Stefan slid the wedding ring onto the same finger that Caroline was wearing her engagement ring.

Caroline smiled, chuckling. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Caroline slide the ring onto Stefan's finger. They held each other's hands.

"With the power recently vested into me by the common wealth of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Damon told them. "You may kiss the bride, little brother."

Caroline and Stefan smiled, starting to kiss slowly and passionately.

Everyone stood, applauding.

Flower petals started to rain down all around us.

Caroline and Stefan pulled away, only to kiss more deeply and passionately.

 ********

It was after dark, and everyone was at the after party.

Stefan and Caroline were dancing, and Bonnie and Damon were dancing.

I was keeping an eye over Lizzie, Josie and Rae, watching as the twins were running around us and giggling, letting them play with Rae, smiling a small smile, though I was sad, because even if the day was supposed to be happy, it reminded me of everything that I didn't have. At the moment, anyway.

Damon continued to dance with Bonnie. "Why send the necklace but skip the wedding?"

Bonnie shook her head in confusion. "Maybe she wants to stand you up for old times' sake."

Damon chuckled. "So nice having you back, Bon. Warms my cold, dead heart."

Damon spun Bonnie around as they continued to dance, and as Stefan and Caroline continued to dance, they kissed.

I got Lizzie and Josie to start dancing with each other by holding their hands while they were spinning around underneath, also holding Rae. 

After a while, Bonnie took Lizzie and Josie inside because they had to go to the bathroom.

 ********

Damon grabbed a mic. "Paging the bride and groom. Thank you. It is now time for everyone's favorite best man to make a little toast." I stood nearby Stefan and Caroline with Rae, smiling a small smile. "Little brother, I have waited a hundred and... well, a whole lot of years to make this speech." Stefan and I nodded in amusement to his near slipup in front of everyone. "And today, I finally get to tell my little brother--"

Kelly walked closer, taking the mic from Damon to speak through it to everyone. "I'll take it from here, gorgeous. Hmm. He and I made out once. Super hot."

"Drunken toast from Kelly Donovan," I told them. "Perfect. Now it's a wedding."

"Well, I've known Stefan Salvatore for years, but I can honestly say I'm not sure what all the fuss is about," Kelly told us. She chuckled, looking at Caroline. "And then there's little Mrs. Perfect. Oh, too bad your mother's dead. Maybe if you hadn't tried to cure cancer, she might have lived to see this."

Damon took the mic from Kelly. "Okay, okay. That's enough." He tried to compel Kelly. "Hey, now go find the open bar."

"No, Damon," Kelly told him. "You're worse than either of them. What you did to Vicki, shame on you. She didn't hurt anyone, ever. She might have turned her life around, but you didn't give her the chance. Then again, I never had a chance, either. Now, this town made up it's mind about me a long time ago." Matt walked through the crowd toward us. "You all looked right through me for years, treated me like a joke." Kelly looked at Matt. "Sent me packing without a second thought. Maybe if you hadn't forgotten all about me, you would've known that I had a bad fall two years ago. And you never knew I was dead." We looked at her in shock and confusion. "Now, the only one who gave a damn about me was Katherine. She saw how I was suffering."

Damon walked up to Kelly to grip her throat. "Where is she?"

Kelly threw up blood onto the floor. "I have no idea. I was busy causing a gas leak in the house."

Caroline realized that Bonnie and the twins were still in the house, horrified. "Oh, my God. The girls and Bonnie."

Caroline ran out of the room. Stefan followed.

Kelly looked at Damon and me. "You really think you can play Katherine Pierce?"

We heard the Lockwood Mansion explode from outside

 ********

Outside, we saw that the flames of the explosion was magically sent out of the house and up the chimney, into the sky. Bonnie, Lizzie and Josie walked outside.

"Mommy!" Lizzie told her.

Caroline ran to hug the twins. "Oh, my God." The girls laughed in relief. "You're okay. Oh, my babies." Bonnie sat down on the steps. "You're okay."

We all looked at Bonnie and the twins in relief. 

I handed Rae to Stefan, walking into the space that we had used as the dance floor to help Damon and Matt interrogate Kelly.

Damon pushed Kelly into her chair. "What did Katherine promise you?"

"Nothing," Kelly told us.

"Then why help her?" Matt asked.

"You don't get it," Kelly told us. "She promised me nothing. Oblivion, emptiness. Anything is better than endless torture in Hell. And all I had to do was keep you idiots distracted until the fire started."

"What is Katherine planning?" I asked.

"You don't have to bully me," Kelly told us. "She wanted me to let you know. She's gonna burn down Mystic Falls with Hellfire, tonight."

Kelly laughed.

"She's talking about the bell," Matt told us. He looked at Kelly. "Even if Katherine rings the bell, she can't create Hellfire. Only someone from the Maxwell bloodline can do that. Dad's not gonna do it, and neither am I."

"Well, then it's a good thing you weren't an only child," Kelly told him.

"Except Vicki's dead as a door nail," Damon told her.

"She was," Kelly told us. "Until my son opened up a portal to Hell, and... let some people out." We realized that Kelly meant that Vicki was really back from Hell and that she was going to ring the bell to create Hellfire to burn down the entire town. We heard the first ring of the bell from across town in the clock tower, looking up. "There's Vicki. Right on time."

Kelly coughed up more blood, getting so weak she fell to the floor, seemingly dead.

Matt knelt next to her. "Mom."

Blood gathered underneath Kelly's head.

Damon, Matt and I looked at each other worriedly.