Elena and I walked into Damon's room as he took off all the things from his closet and listening to TV, Andie's death being mentioned.

Elena had something to tell us about Stefan.

Damon knew we were there. "Just don't give up, do you?"

"You haven't returned any of my calls," Elena said.

"And you've been avoiding me," I added.

"Yeah, well, busy dating a dead fake girlfriend and all," Damon said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I asked, looking at Andie's picture on the TV.

"Hey, Elena, Happy Birthday," Damon said sarcastically. "Hi, Nikki, you're extremely pissed at me for the moment. Stefan killed Andie. Cake?"

"He called me, Damon," Elena told him.

I turned to look at her. "What?"

"Stefan called me last night," Elena answered.

"Well, what'd he say?" I asked.

"He didn't say anything, but it was him," Elena said. "I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call's origin. It came from Tennessee."

"Where he's binge drinking on the country folk," Damon said. "We went through this, guys. Stefan's gone. I don't mean geographically."

"If he was gone, he wouldn't have called," I pointed out.

Damon didn't answer, throwing everything into the fire place and let it burn.

~

Since Damon wasn't helping, Elena and I went to Ric.

Elena knocked on the door.

"Go away, Damon!" Ric called.

This time, I knocked on the door, more impatient than Elena.

Ric opened the door, shirtless

"Hi," Elena said.

"You're, uh . . ." Ric trailed off. "Not who I expected."

"Clearly," I said. "We need you to tell us what you know about Stefan and Tennessee."

Ric looked at Elena. "Did you miss the part where I checked out of this?"

As he turned away, we followed him in.

"Come on, Ric," I said. "Whatever Damon knows, you know."

"Ask Damon," Ric told us.

"Yeah, but he's not exactly in the mood to help right now," I said.

"For good reason," Ric told us. "Because it's not safe for either of you. Stefan's off the rails."

"Yeah, but he's still holding on to his humanity, which means he can still be saved," Elena said.

"'Cause we're not the kind of people who check out," I said. "Look, he would never give up on any of us. We're not gonna give up on him."

"Tell us what you know, Ric," Elena said. "Please."

"They've been tracking werewolves, he and Klaus," Ric finally answered. "All over the eastern seaboard. We thought we had 'em in Memphis . . ."

~

"A lot of us like to keep to ourselves during the full moon," Tyler told Elena and me at a table in the Grill. "Chain ourselves up. But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places where they don't have to do that, where they can enjoy it."

"What kind of places?" I asked.

"Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff," Tyler answered.

"Anywhere in Tennessee?" I asked.

"Yeah," Tyler answered, holding out his hand. "Here, give me your phone. I'll pull up a map."

Elena handed him hers. "Thanks for this. I know it's asking a lot."

I sighed, my hand on the side of my head.

"As Caroline likes to remind me, Stefan's in this mess because I bit Damon," Tyler told us. "I figured I owed both of you one. Have you seen her today?"

"No," Elena answered, and I shook my head. "Why?"

Tyler shook his head. "Just curious. Here." He handed Elena back her phone. "That's your best bet. Good luck."

"Thanks, Tyler," I said, both Elena and me getting up.

We walked toward the bar, meeting with Ric.

"Did you get anything?" Ric asked.

"How do you feel about a little hike through the Smoky Mountains?" I asked.

"You want to hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?" Ric demanded.

"We'll be out of there before the moon is full," I told him. "If you don't come with us, we're going by ourselves."

Ric looked at us with a glare.

"What?" Elena asked innocently. "You're the one who told me that I can handle things on my own now. Plus, I have help."

"Yeah, I meant like frozen dinners and SATs," Ric said. "And one other teenage girl is not much help." We both looked at him, not changing our minds. He sighed. "All right. Fine. Let's go. But I'm not driving."

As he walked ahead of us, Elena and I shared a smile, following after him.

~

We were already in Tennessee on the mountains, Ric leading the way. "In a few hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge." He pointed at the ridge. "If Tyler's right, that's where the pack will be."

"You were a Boy Scout, weren't you?" I asked.

"Shut up," Ric told me.

"A Boy Scout-slash-vampire slayer," Elena said.

"Slash whiskey drinking all around lost cause," Ric said.

Elena laughed as Ric dropped his bag to the ground, kneeling next to it to unzip the biggest pocket, a lot of weapons inside.

"Wow," I said. "You came stocked."

"Well, we aren't exactly bird watching," Ric replied. He stood, handing each of us a grenade. "Here. Put these in your bags."

"Vervain grenade?" Elena asked.

"Wolfsbane," Ric corrected.

I started to walk away toward the edge of the bank, looking over the lake as I put my grenade in my blue bag, sitting down as I waited for them.

Elena put hers in her green bag. "Since we're exchanging gifts.  . ." She pulled out one of the Gilbert rings.

"That's John Gilbert's ring," Ric said, pointing at it.

"It was yours once. Go ahead. Take it, Ric. It'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into."

"But he gave it to you."

"Yeah, but I'm a Doppelganger. It's not gonna work on me. He left it for if I ever have kids."

"Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for the future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" Ric asked. He looked at me still on the edge, holding my head as I looked at the water. "One of the many ways the Gilberts and the Salvatores are way too much alike."

I looked toward them with a sarcastic smile, holding up my arm.

"Okay, how about you borrow it until after we survive this?" Elena asked Ric.

"Come on, Ric," I said as I stood up. "You can't go in there unprotected. I'd feel bad if I got you killed before Happy Hour. Would you feel bad, Elena?"

"I would feel bad, Nicola," Elena answered, both of us smiling.

Ric smiled a small smile, slowly taking the ring from Elena.

Still on the edge, I started to take off my hoodie because it was way too hot for it. "I don't know why you think you're a lost cause."

I was suddenly pushed in the air toward the water, making me yell in surprise before landing in the water with a big splash.

I pushed out of the water, breathing heavily as I looked at Damon leaning against the tree. Ric was aiming his crossbow until he saw who it was. Elena took a surprised step forward, but Ric grabbed her arm to hold her back.

I looked back at Damon leaning against the tree. "Damon?!" I raised my arms above the water. "How the hell are you even here?!"

Damon gave Ric a glance. "Thanks for the tip, brother."

I gave Ric an incredulous look. "You sold us out!"

"You think I'd take the two of you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without back up?" Ric replied, tilting his head.

Elena pulled her arm out of Ric's grasp, just as angry as I was.

~

"Get out of the water, Nikki," Damon told me.

"If I get out of the water, you are gonna make me go home," I said stubbornly, like a child talking back to her parents or guardians.

Which was true. Over the summer, with Stefan gone, Damon had been my guardian. Technically.

"Yes, because I'm not an idiot, like you," Damon told me, using my words I had told him at the dinner party before we killed Elijah--twice.

"Right now, you're all acting like idiots," Ric told us.

Elena shook her head, looking away. "You gave up on him, Damon."

"I didn't give up on him, Elena," Damon told her. "I faced reality." He looked back at me. "Now get out of the water."

I looked at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "No!"

Damon started to walk into the water. "What's your big plan, Nikki? Huh?" I backed away. "You gonna walk through a campsite of werewolves, roast a marshmallow and wait for Stefan to stop by?"

"Our plan is to find him and help him," I said. "Damon, this is the closest we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home, and you can't make me."

"Oh, I can make you, all right," Damon said. He looked at Elena. "Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. This . . ." He gestured around. "This is not safe."

Elena shook her head. "We're not leaving before we find him."

"It's a full moon, Elena," Damon said.

"Then we'll find him before then," Elena stressed pleadingly. "Damon, please."

Damon looked at Elena. "Okay. Okay." He looked at me. "Okay. But we are out of here before the moon is full and I am werewolf bait."

"We promise," I said.

Damon looked at me. "Unless you wanna lose another person you care about . . ." He looked back at Elena. "And unless you wanna relive that death bed kissy thing."

"She said we promise!" Elena said innocently.

"Fine," Damon said, leading the way out of the water.

~

Damon followed me. "How you doing?"

"Fine," I said.

"You know, I could help you guys," Damon said.

"No thanks," Elena said.

"Just one little fwoosh," Damon told us.

"Yeah, with our luck, you'd drop both of us," I replied.

Elena chuckled.

"What are you guys, 12?" Ric asked.

We kept on walking.

~

The sun was setting, and we were still going as Ric said, "We got about a mile left."

"The sun's about to set," Damon said.

"We can see that, Damon," I said.

"I'm just saying," Damon said.

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while," Elena told us. "We have time."

We all heard the twig breaking as a guy with a bloody face walked closer.

Ric pointed the crossbow at him. "Stay where you are."

The guy looked at Damon. "Vampire."

As he rushed over with unbelievable speed, like a vampire, Damon was pushed against a tree as he tried to bite him. Ric shot him with an arrow. It didn't faze him.

Elena took out the wolfsbane grenade from her bag. "Damon!"

Elena threw it to him, which he caught and made it explode in his face.

His skin sizzled and burned at the wolfsbane, falling, making him scream.

Damon kicked him in his stomach, making him spin into unconsciousness.

"Speed like a vampire but effected by wolfsbane," I said.

"Let me guess," Ric said. "Hybrid."

~

I sprayed vervain on ropes as we tied the hybrid to a tree.

"These ropes aren't gonna hold him much longer," Damon said. "What else do we have?"

"Ric, here," I said. "Take these."

Damon started to take them, the vervain making his skin burn. "Ah!" He glared back at me. "Ow!"

"I said Ric," I said innocently.

Ric took them and started to tie them around the hybrid. "All right, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him. I don't think we're gonna make that ridge before the full moon."

"If we can get him to talk, we don't have to," Elena said.

The hybrid screamed awake, his bones breaking like he was starting to turn.

"Is he turning?" Damon demanded.

"It's impossible," I said. "It's still daylight."

"Tell him that," Ric said.

Damon held the hybrid's shoulders to the tree.

"There aren't supposed to be werewolves out her until the moon is full," Elena said.

"You know, those ropes aren't gonna hold the wolf," I said.

The hybrid screamed, snarling.

"Damon, we've got to get out of here," Elena said. "We gotta get out of these mountains now."

"Damon, now!" I yelled before we all started to run.

~

We were still running by the time night fell, and Elena tripped in front of me.

"Don't move," Damon told her.

There was a werewolf straight in front of her, Elena trying to remain as still as possible.

"Here, doggie, doggie," Damon said, vanishing with vampire speed.

The werewolf followed him.

I helped Elena up.

"Come on," Ric told us. "Let's keep moving."

"We can't leave Damon," I said.

"He can handle himself," Ric told us. "Let's go."

"No," I said. "If he gets bit, he'll be dead."

"We're the reason he's here," Elena said.

"I am the reason he's here," Ric stressed. "I told him where we were, and I'm telling you both to keep moving. Let's go. Guys, now!"

Finally, they pulled me away.

~

I watched as Elena and Ric walked to Ric's car, but I turned back for Damon and Stefan, starting to go back for them.

Damon appeared in front of me, making me jump. "What do you think you're doing? Oh, that's right, you're still an insane idiot when it comes to me and my brother."

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Did you . . .?"

"Fine, bite-free," Damon answered. "Get in the car, please,"

"Can you just give me a minute to appreciate the fact that you're not dead?" I asked.

"I'll give you 10 seconds," Damon said. "9, 8 . . ." He grabbed my shoulders, turning me around to walk forward, Elena and Ric getting out of the car to watch. I tried to stop him from pushing me, but he kept on. "Hey, Ric, do you happen to know where I parked my car?"

"Damon, stop being such an enormous ass," I told him.

Ric and Elena got into their car while I got into mine and Damon got into his.

We were going home.

Without Stefan.