Lori shut the lid to the device and Lachlan the Mayor's husband came storming in. Lori didn't change a shade as she spun to face him wondering what the issue was. Lachlan was a member of the council but like all of the sheep in this town he didn't want to act on the information he knew to be true. So when he came screaming about why his wife was dragging off into the basement of an abandoned building Lori just shrugged "No clue Lachlan. As far as I ever knew your wife has always been a joy. Maybe there were secrets she was hiding from us both." Lachlan sneered at the woman and clenched his fist when Lori bumped his shoulder on the way out. Lachlan knew what his wife was hiding, he just didn't think that this device would expose her. And with Sheriff Lan locked away at his wife's command there was no one to help him get to her before they burned her alive mistakenly.

•••

Claire blinked a bit as she started to come to from the injection of vervain. This had to be the plan Lori was talking about. Just as Claire thought it Lori came down the steps with two deputies holding gasoline cannisters "Rise and shine. It's nice you're awake. I was hoping we'd get a last word in" Lori said as she bent down to talk to Claire.

"What have I ever done to you?" Claire asked trying to understand why it was so important to Lori for Claire to die.

"You're shackled up with my son. You don't know but every moment you're together is putting him in danger. And I can't allow that. So you have to die. It's ok. It'll all be over quiet quickly well at least for some of you. I would so like to pretend that I'm sad it had to be like this. But I'm not. I'm glad to be the one that pulls the ripper to the gates of hell. I'll get a badge of honor in the afterlife for that" Lori said as she turned over the last bit of gasoline on Claire's back and some on her head. Claire felt panicked inside, she was going to die this way? Of every kind of punishment this one seemed as cruel as it did fitting for who was she was. Hearing Lori call her a ripper made her head spin. The news that Lori was Lucas' mother didn't go unnoticed by her either but she hated everything about this. She knew how guilty she was, she knew being with Lucas would put him in danger but she did everything regardless. Claire turned her sister. Maybe burning alive was what she was meant to do. Maybe this really was all she deserved after everything.

The place started to burn and all Claire could do was lay there her veins burning with vervain in them. In the corner of her eye she could see Paul and the Mayor starting to come to but she couldn't help them anymore than she could help herself. Claire could barely move even as she noticed one of the tomb vampires getting very close.

"Why, hello Mayor" the man said with a shit eating grin as he grabbed the woman's head and snapped her neck. Claire was still half a room away when she died and sighed. Regardless of her trying she still couldn't save her.

"Claire?" Paul said as he started to wake up.

"Yup" Claire said taking to just rolling on her back and staring up at the flames that were taking over the stairs.

"You're seriously gonna just lay there while we're about to die?" Claire looked over at the man who'd pulled himself up to stand at the stairs sadly too late to go up them.

"Is there another magical way out of this basement other than the stairs that are on fire?" Claire asked sitting up a bit and looking around. Paul just growled frustratedly and pulled at his hair. At that moment the flames calmed and Val rushed down looking around frantically for Claire. When Val found her she grabbed her arm and threw most of the weight on herself. Claire could barely believe she was here at all and looked over at Val dazed and confused.

"Hey! You just gonna leave me here?" Val didn't look back she just stopped and put Claire down.

"No. No of course not." Val said calmly before she spun around and threw a piece of burning wood from the stairs directly into Paul's chest. Paul stared down at his chest shocked as his son grayed and he lit up in flames. Val smiled in satisfaction pulling Claire back up and rushing out with no other interruptions.

Lucas stared at the door with wide eyes as Terrance chanted beside him. When he saw Claire he rushed over practically pulling Claire out of Val's arms. He ran his thumb along her cheek and kissed her forehead "Was there anyone else down there?" He asked Val.

Val looked over at Claire, she would rat her out for killing that boy. She knew she would. If Val were her she would "No, not that we saw anyways. Of course there's flames and smoke so maybe. All I remember is the Mayor but she was dead before Val came. Tomb vampire murdered her" Val stood stunned, and Claire hardly glanced at her when she spoke. Reason number 197 Claire confounded her. Terrance just listened and his heart clenched for Elsie. Which reminded him.

"Lucas we gotta go. Opal and Elsie" he said simply, Lucas nodded in return.

Lucas pulled Claire up swooping her legs up and walking off the girl laying on his chest. Val followed behind dejected.

•••

Not far from them Nadine was looking over Harry who'd finally come to. She rubbed his head lightly and he gently grabbed her hand "Dina?" He whispered in question.

"Yea. Yea it's me. What happened? One minute you were fine and the next you just collapsed. I wanted to call the police but Terrance said not to. He said you'd be fine but I didn't know. And I just-" Harry sat up and grabbed her face.

"I'm fine Nadine. Look It's ok. I don't know what happened but whatever it was I only passed out" Harry didn't tell her about the ringing in his ears or the pain in his head but he knew that'd go away soon. She didn't need to worry anymore than she already has.

"Ok... I'm sorry I know we're friends and it's probably a bit strange to be this worked up but... you know you gave me a scare" she said as casually as she could. Nadine didn't want to tell him how panicked she really was. She honestly didn't want to question herself over how panicked she was. Seeing him like that, Nadine could only wonder if something was really wrong and if she'd missed her chance. A fucked up thing to be thinking after everything with Paul yet, she couldn't help herself. Nadine didn't know when she started to fall for Harry but here she was regardless. How would she explain that away?

"Don't worry about it. I like being the damsel in distress as long as you do CPR" Harry said with a sly smirk. He knew that'd make her laugh. And it did, then while he watched her soft smile and the slight blush on her cheeks he couldn't help his next move. Harry grabbed her chin pulling her in for a small kiss. It was brief and when they pulled apart all they could do was stare inches away from each other. Neither meant for this to happen, neither meant to fall in like this. But now that they were here, did they want to let go?

•••

Val had taken Lucas home, after he brought Claire somewhere she could rest and recover he'd come up to her and said that he needed to grab some stuff then he wanted to go home. So here they were, Val hadn't said much on their way back and kept glancing over at Lucas wondering if he had anything else to say from their conversation earlier.

"You know, I meant what I said earlier. You're more than everybody paints you to be. I don't know how but you've managed to hide a heart in there. And I don't think you should anymore. People deserve... no you deserve to have people see it, see you" Lucas said honestly looking down at her. Val just stared at him her mouth open slightly. What could she say to him? After everything she'd done, done to him, done to all his friends... he thought she was more than just a fuck up. When everyone else could care less if she lived or died here he was telling her he cared. He cared. That was more than enough for Val and impulsively she pulled him down smashing his lips against her own. Val expected him to push her away and braced herself for it. But it didn't happen instead his fists dug in her shirt and he pulled her closer. She slid his hands up in his hair and pulled slightly pulling a breathy moan from his lips. The boy didn't know it but he was driving her insane, somehow in their small moments Val secretly craved this. Maybe because he looked like Julius, maybe because she'd never known a man to be as honest as he was with her. Maybe it was just the timing. Whatever it was Val was satisfied in this moment. However long it lasted.

•••

At the hospital, Elsie was with Opal tears staining her cheeks. This was her fault. She was driving. How this could happen she wasn't sure? All she knew was that one minute everything was fine and the next there was a ringing and it was piercing. It felt like her brain was melting. Then she passed out and when she woke up Quentin was carrying Opal out of the wreckage. And he seemed fine when the ambulance came. But then he too passed out. Now they were here. In the hospital, Opal had a bandage on her head and her arm in a sling and Quentin was in a hospital bed unconscious like he's been for the past 4 hours.

To make matters worse Elsie just received a call from her dad. The Mayor was dead. Not long after a police officer came and told Opal that Paul was dead. So here the two sat staring into space trying to collect themselves after the day they've had.

"This has to be one the shittier days of our friendship" Opal said making Elsie smile a bit.

"Can't argue with that" Elsie said with a small smile.

"Electrical fire. During a historic speech from the Mayor. Huh." Opal said.

"I'm almost sad I didn't get to hear it. On the other hand I'm sorry those people's last moment was listening to my mom brag about herself and what she's achieved for this town" Elsie said in her best Mayor Kentworth impression.

"Are you ok" Opal asked.

"No. You?" Elsie asked.

"Definitely not" Opal said. The silence returned and Opal just laid her head on Elsie's shoulder taking everything in. At that moment Lucas and Terrance rushed up relief flooding his system when he saw them. Watching the two run to make sure they were OK put a smile on Opal's face. Elsie however just gave them a nod.

"What happened? How's Quentin?" Lucas asked.

"Car crash. Elsie lost control and Quentin had a hemorrhage of some kind. They said there was some internal bleeding. So, they're keeping him for observation. Don't worry about telling me, the police already told me Paulie's gone. So uh yea that's my night" Opal said tears brimming her eyes. Without anything else said Lucas pulled her in tight for a hug. Opal dug her face deep in his shirt and just cried. Cried as hard as she could. Lucas just stood there and rubbed her back. He would likely sit here all night with her and Elsie. They lost big tonight and they don't even understand why. And a piece of him felt somehow responsible. This was Lori's plan. She didn't care about collateral damage. She killed people tonight. Good people. How that makes her any better than a vampire? Lucas didn't know. All he did know was that this was Lori's last night in Mystic Falls. They sat there for a few hours just hugging and talking about memories they had of Paulie and the Mayor. Then Lucas got hungry and he walked off to the vending machine.

Val had just come by. Hoping to run into him. They didn't talk about what happened on the porch and they needed to before Val could sleep tonight. When she saw him she smiled and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey Val. What are you doing here?" Lucas asked confused.

"Looking for you. I just thought that we should talk. You know given what happened on the porch tonight" Val said pushing some hair behind her ear. She wasn't usually so indirect but he knew what she meant.

"What happened? Was Nadine there or something?" He frowned his confusion deepening.

"Huh? Come on now you're going to pretend like you don't remember" Val said trying to give him the benefit of the doubt before she threatened him. She was going to give him a chance before she dug deep into defense mode.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Val" Lucas said. He was about to get into the biggest fight he'd ever walk into but Val's next thoughts were interrupted by Nick running down the hall.

"Lucas!! Where have you been? You said you'd be in Quentin's room with the stuff for Nadine. Do you have it?" Lucas turned to Nick now with the same amount of confusion. Val was equally confused now as she tried to understand what was happening.

"Nick I never said I would get anything. What does she need?" Nick scoffed and shook his head.

"You can be forgetful any other day man. Today is not the time. Your sister needed one thing. I need you to keep it together a lot of crazy shit is going on. You can't just be wherever and do whatever you like" Lucas was pulling his hair now trying to wrap his mind around why Nick and Val were so convinced he'd done something wrong. Val understood as Lucas' confusion grew. He didn't call. And he wasn't the one Val was with on the porch tonight. Which meant only one thing.

Julius was here.