I spent the night at her house. It was what I thought would bring me the most comfort after I learnt about Lexi's death. I know I cannot get too close to her, but I also cannot stay away. I'm conflicted.

Damon had insisted that what he did was for the greater good and to get the council of their backs. Felix couldn't find it in him to forgive him, Lexi was an old friend of his who mattered greatly to both himself and Stefan.

Him and Stefan were still trying to figure out what Damon's ulterior motive was, but he was still being cryptic about it. So all Felix and Stefan could do was to keep their identities safe by heading to high school.

He walked past Caroline and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey." Caroline replied with a smile.

Felix continued walking, unsure of what to say to her. He had stayed over at her house, in her bed, and when he woke up his arms were around her, holding her close. To save himself from any awkward conversation and her mother discovering them, he quickly left out the window. He didn't want to lead her on, he wasn't sure where he stood. Felix didn't feel like he was ready for a relationship yet, but he knew that if he ever was, Caroline would be the girl to change it all.

He ran into Caroline later and greeted her again. "Hey."

She immediately placed her hand on his arm, stopping Felix. "Hey? What is that?"

Felix was confused. "What?"

"The hey!" she exclaimed. "That's twice! That is two heys. Do you have any other words in your British vocabulary?"

Felix was very confused. "What's wrong with hey?"

Caroline sighed. "It reeks of awkward subtext. You spent the night in my bed! There was cuddling! And then you snuck out before dawn so you wouldn't have to face me, seriously lame! Oh and you called me love when I was drunk! And now we're back to just heys? Seriously? I may have been some pathetic, insecure mess after the party but do not mistake that for me being a pushover because I do not let guys mess with my head anymore!"

"Oh," Felix replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, "firstly, I'm surprised you remembered the party. Secondly, I heard your mother in the morning and didn't want to get you in trouble. So I went out the window-"

"-the window? Seriously?"

"Your mother is the Sheriff, Caroline," Felix defended, "she would have shot me if she saw me in bed with her daughter."

Caroline sighed. "You just confuse me."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to lead you on."

For some reason, it broke Felix to have to admit that to her, he wished things were different but, for now, he had to keep his distance from her.

"Fine whatever." Caroline said before she turned and walked off.

-

Under a canopy of stars, Stefan tossed a football in this hands on the quiet football field. Felix stood a few paces away, arms crossed, his dark eyes focused on Damon, who stood opposite Stefan.

"What are we doing here, Stefan?" Damon asked, his tone drenched in mockery.

Stefan ignored him and launched the ball toward his older brother. "Bonding." he said. "Catch."

Damon caught the ball effortlessly and threw it back. "Don't forget who taught you how to play this game."

Felix stepped forward, his voice calm but edged with impatience. "I'm not here to watch a Salvatore scrimmage. Let's skip to the part where you explain why you threatened Bonnie and what you're planning with that crystal."

Damon's smirk didn't falter, but his eyes flicked to Felix. "And what makes you think I owe you an explanation?"

"Because your disasters have a way of becoming everyone else's problem," Felix shot back, "so talk."

Damon tossed the football high into the air, letting it fall back to the ground with a dull thud. "Fine. But I feel like a bit of football first."

In a blur of vampire speed, Damon took off, the game suddenly underway. Stefan sighed and joined, vanishing after him. Felix muttered under his breath and followed, though his pace remained deliberately measured. He caught up just as Stefan tackled Damon to the ground.

Damon groaned, rolling onto his back. "Was that necessary?"

"Downside of my diet," Stefan said dryly. "Getting hit actually hurts."

Felix crouched beside them, shaking his head. "Do you know what else hurts? Dealing with your nonsense, Damon. Start talking."

Damon sat up slowly, brushing dirt from his jacket. "You're no fun, Felix. But fine." He leaned back on his hands. "You know Katherine? The eternal love of my life? The one Stefan here helped send to a fiery death?"

Stefan stiffened. "That's not what happened."

"Oh, but it is," Damon retorted. "And now, thanks to Emily's little trick, she's alive. Well, sort of."

Felix frowned. "Alive? What are you talking about?"

"She's in a tomb under Fell's Church," Damon explained. "Emily sealed her in there to protect her from the townspeople. I've been working for over a century to break the spell and get Katherine out."

"Are you telling me Katherine's alive?" Stefan asked, shocked.

"If that's what you want to call it," Damon said with a shrug, "she's been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half, but you're an expert on starving a vampire, so how do you think she's doing, Stefan?"

A pause.

"Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy into their magic? No? Me neither. But in order to give the crystal its power, Emily used the comet that was passing overhead. And, in order for that crystal to work again..."

Felix filled in the blanks. "The comet had to return."

"Downside? Long time in between comets. And, a couple of hiccups along the way with the crystal, but the comet passed, and I got the crystal. And then Caroline got the crystal, and then Florence had the crystal and now Bonnie has the crystal, and here we are."

Stefan was still in  shock. "Why would Emily...? Why would she do this for you?"

"Because she knew they were gonna come for her, too. And she made me promise that her lineage would survive."

"I remember. You saved her children." Felix stated.

Damon nodded. "It's the only thing keeping me from ripping that little Bonnie girl's throat out to get my crystal back. Oh well, a deal's a deal. So...you wanna go throw some more?"

The night ended there, well, Felix thought it was over until Elena called Stefan telling him that Emily had possessed Bonnie and was at the Fell's Church. Felix followed Stefan and Elena cautiously, his senses alert.

When they arrived, Damon was impaled on a broken tree branch, his face twisted in pain. "You couldn't have gotten here five minutes sooner?" he groaned.

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see karma's working overtime."

Stefan helped Damon as Elena looked around for her friend. Felix scanned the area, his eyes narrowing when Bonnie appeared, her steps slow and deliberate.

"Bonnie?" Elena called out, her voice tinged with concern.

But it wasn't Bonnie who answered. The voice that came was older, richer, and steeped in authority. "Stefan."

Stefan froze. "Emily."

Felix stepped closer, his gaze sharpening. "So it's true. You're the one who sealed them in."

Emily, speaking through Bonnie, nodded solemnly. "I did what I had to do to protect my bloodline. But these people don't deserve the evil that would come if they're freed."

"What do you mean the evil?" Stefan asked.

"I won't let you unleash them into this world." Emily said.

"What part of the bloody story did you leave out Damon?" Felix asked with a sigh.

"To save her," Emily continued, "I had to save them all. With one, comes all."

Stefan's expression darkened. "You never mentioned the others."

"Details, brother," Damon said. "I don't care about them. I just want her."

Felix shook his head, disbelief flickering across his face. "You're willing to unleash a horde of vampires just for one person? You're insane."

Damon shrugged. "Love makes you crazy."

"Or blind," Felix shot back, "you're not doing this out of love. This is revenge, pure and simple."

Damon stood, brushing himself off. "I don't really thing you're qualified to say anything about this Monty. Let us not forget the incident in '70 when you wiped out an entire village because they didn't have the information you wanted."

Felix's gaze hardened, he didn't want to be reminded of the darker times in his life.

"I can't free them." Emily stated, looking at Damon. "I won't!"

"Elena," Felix said, his tone a quiet warning, "stay back."

Damon, still weak but stubborn as ever, pushed himself upright. "Don't do this, Emily. I'll destroy your entire line!"

Felix stepped in front of Damon, his stance firm. "She's right. This ends here. No Katherine. No vampires. No more death."

Emily began to chant, and Damon lunged forward, but Stefan and Felix held him back as flames erupted in a pentagram around Emily.

"No!" Damon shouted. "Please!"

The crystal shattered in a blinding explosion and Emily released Bonnie's body, leaving her unconscious on the ground. Damon's fury boiled over, and he sank his fangs into Bonnie's neck before anyone could react.

"Damon, stop!" Elena screamed.

Felix and Stefan tore him away, Felix pinning him against the ground. "You've done enough!"

Stefan knelt beside Bonnie, his wrist to her lips. Blood trickled into her mouth, and slowly, her breathing steadied. Elena watched in stunned silence as the wounds on Bonnie's neck healed.

When the chaos settled, Felix stood, glaring down at Damon. "If you ever do something like this again, I'll be the one staking you."

"Noted."

And with that he rushed off.

"You look after them," Felix sighed, "I'll check on Damon."

He left Stefan to deal with Elena and Bonnie as he found Damon sat in the woods. Although Damon was impulsive and his decisions often led to someone getting hurt, a part of Felix did feel sympathetic for the vampire.

"Katherine never compelled me," Damon said, sensing Felix, "I knew everything. It was real for me. Every step of the way. I'll leave now."

Felix understood what Damon was going through, more than he wanted to admit. If Felix was in this situation, he would've likely done the same thing. "Look, I might not agree with how you've handled this situation, but I know how it feels to do anything to get someone you love back."

Damon's head turned to Felix. "I know you get it, and that's why I liked you so much. You understood what it was like to lose someone you loved and you held onto that glimmer of hope that one day you'd get it back. And then you spent a few decades with Stefan and suddenly you're the hero now."

Felix sighed. "I don't pretend that I'm perfect Damon. I know I've done my share of bad things in the past. I'm just trying to be better now."

"So you're telling me you've stopped trying to find her?"

"She could have died," Felix said, "she could have died years ago and I just never knew. Maybe the rumours I heard were just rumours, leading me on. I decided I needed to try move on. And if fate wanted me to be with her, then it would've done something."

Damon was silent.

Felix continued. "It doesn't get easier. You'll always have a hole in you, but maybe someday it'll get smaller."

Damon nodded before standing up. "I'll see you around, Monty."

Damon turned to leave as Felix returned to Stefan who just seemed like he had a difficult conversation with Elena. The two headed home when Stefan finally told Felix what he said to her.

"I told her I was leaving, well we're leaving."

Felix's eyes widened. "We are?"

"There's too many deaths. Felix everywhere we go death seems to follow. If you care about Caroline, you'll leave her be."

Felix knew deep down Stefan was right, it would be safer this way. But part of him couldn't bear to leave the blonde. He said nothing else and headed upstairs to bed and the next morning he was woken up by the sound of Sheriff Forbes arriving at the house.

He overhead Damon greet her and lead her to the back of the house, away from presumably himself and Stefan. Felix quietly followed and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"I hope you understand the secrecy," Damon told the Sheriff, "Felix and Stefan don't know about this yet and I'd like to keep it that way.

"Of course, kids are too young to be brought into this."

"So, what do you need?"

"There's been another attack. A female victim, her throat torn out, completely drained of blood. It fits the pattern."

Felix's eyesbrows raised.

Damon's voice spoke. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. I thought we solved that problem when I...staked the blonde one."

Felix's stomach twisted when he remembered what Damon did to Lexi.

"I'm thinking she must have turned someone. Or multiple someones. I don't know."

"The story for the town is another animal attack but I'm not sure how long we can keep lying to them. The council is in an uproar. We thought we were past this."

"So, uh, what do we do?"

"You're the only one who's ever taken on a vampire. We were hoping you could tell us."

Once Sheriff Forbes had left, Stefan and Felix seemed to both have the same idea as they went downstairs and confronted Damon.

"What is wrong with you? You killed somebody?" Stefan said angrily, shoving Damon.

"Get off of me." Damon said, pushing him off. "A...don't touch me. B...if I had, I wouldn't have been so obvious about it. C...there's another vampire in town.

"That's impossible." Felix said.

"Obviously not."

"Then who could it be?" Stefan asked.

Damon shrugged. "Ah, what do we care? We're leaving anyway, right?"

"No, I can't leave now and you know that." Stefan said.

"Ah how could I forget," Damon said with a smirk, "your precious Elena and Monty's Blondie."

"How are we supposed to find this person?" Felix asked, ignoring Damon's comments.

"Let the adults handle this." Damon replied, walking off and leaving.

Felix and Stefan exchanged a look between the two of them as Damon left.

They would be staying in Mystic Falls for a bit longer.

And honestly, Felix was pretty glad.