I CAN'T SAY IT OUT LOUD, CLEMMY. NOT NOW.

Caroline did not show up to school on her birthday, which rendered all of Clementine, Bonnie, and Elena's hard work useless. They'd decorated her locker and got her a crown to wear all day, but she never arrived.

Meaning they had to go to her.

Caroline wasn't home when they got there, so Matt dug out the spare key and let all of them inside. And they made sure to hide with their balloons and party hats and signs. It wasn't long at all before Caroline made it home, and they jumped out to surprise her.

"Happy Birthday!"

"What are you guys doing here?" Caroline asked, her eyes wide.

"Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art, so..." Elena took the fuzzy pink crown off her head and put it on Caroline's.

"Hope you don't have lice," Clementine couldn't help but say, making Elena smack her arm as the others laughed.

"Change into warmer clothes, we are going to the Falls. S'mores, campfire," Bonnie told her.

"Cake!" Clem added. "Like when we were little and I was still here. I've got seven of your birthdays to make up for."

"Except for the tequila this time," Matt said, waving a bottle around.

But Caroline was clearly bummed out. "Thanks, guys. Really, um, I'm just not feeling my birthday this year."

"I'm sorry, what?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year."

"You once called the hospital and asked that I be let out of my school work for the day because it was a national holiday — they didn't let me out," Clem reminded her.

Caroline just sighed. "Yeah, and now, it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead. Look, I didn't even like seventeen. And the only point to being seventeen is to get to eighteen. It's a filler year; I'm stuck in a filler year."

"You're not stuck, Caroline," Elena told her softly.

"Yeah, I am, but it's okay," she said, forcing a smile. "You know, it's all good, I'll be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it."

Elena thought for a moment before glancing at Clementine, the resident living dead, an idea coming to her. "Okay, well I think I have another idea.

☽︎

"There it is!"

Everyone followed Elena through the woods, and she had a grip on Clem's hand so that neither girl would trip in the dark.

Bonnie looked at the crypt before entering it, a skeptical look on her face. "This is creepy, even for us."

"No, Caroline was right," Elena reasoned. "Technically, she's dead. Sorry. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on with your new one."

Caroline smiled, actually appreciating the sentiment. It was creepy but incredibly sweet. Something only Elena would've come up with. So, as Elena started putting candles on the cake, Caroline started a speech.

"Okay. Here lies Caroline Forbes..."

"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third-grade hopscotch champion," Elena listed.

"Friend, daughter, overachiever," Bonnie added.

"Mean girl, sometimes, no offense," Matt said, making them laugh.

Caroline just smiled. "Ah, none taken."

"And the ray of sunshine that keeps this friend group going," Clementine said, earning a thankful look from Caroline.

"She was seventeen, and she had a really good life. So rest in peace, so that she can move forward," Elena said, holding the cake in front of Caroline. "That's what you really need. What we all really need. Amen, or cheers or whatever. Bonnie?"

Bonnie lit the candles without even moving a muscle. "Bitchin'," Clem laughed.

"Nice! Okay, make a wish," Elena instructed.

After Caroline blew out the candles, they all split the cake and passed around the tequila, Clementine opting for a soda.

"When's Tyler getting here?" Clem asked Caroline, who was already texting her boyfriend.

"Soon," she smiled before passing the drink to Elena.

Elena smiled teasingly. "Exactly like when we were kids."

"Without Jeremy," Bonnie muttered, which made the atmosphere tense. Elena glanced at her, a frown on her face. "Sorry, I know it's Caroline's birthday, funeral or whatever but, I just feel it's really wrong that you compelled Jeremy to leave town."

"I already had this talk with Clemmy. I'm doing it to protect him, Bonnie. I want to give him a chance to have a quiet normal life," she explained.

"He should be able to choose how he wants to live it. You're taking his choices away," she snapped.

"Bonnie, you can't tell him," she said, realizing where Bonnie was going with this.

"Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?" she retorted.

"You know, you guys are ruining a perfect funeral," Matt said, trying to ease the tension.

Bonnie shook her head and moved to leave. "I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go sleep it off or something. Happy birthday."

"Awesome," Clementine breathed out, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Because she agreed with Bonnie but didn't want to make things worse.

And it wasn't long before Tyler arrived. "Sorry, I didn't mean to crash the party."

"More the merrier," Matt said even though he felt a bit tense. He didn't agree with Tyler choosing to become a hybrid. And it didn't help that he wasn't over Caroline.

"Actually, can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important," Tyler said, speaking to Caroline.

She smiled and nodded, leaving the crypt hand in hand with Tyler. Then Elena and Clem both looked at Matt.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

In response, he grabbed the tequila and took a big swig. "Yeah, I want her to be happy, you know? It's what I want for all of you guys in the middle of this crazy life you got stuck living."

"Is that how you see it? That we're stuck?" Elena asked sadly.

"I'd say it's attached itself to you all pretty tight, yeah," he muttered, looking at his sister who had already died more times than he could count.

Elena nodded and looked at her hands. "Bonnie is right, you know? I have no business messing in Jeremy's head. I just don't know what else to do. He is in danger here. I can't lose anyone else that I love."

"We know you're coming from a good place," Clem said, holding her hands. "No one could ever accuse you of having malicious intent, Elena. Even perfect, precious, beautiful angels make mistakes."

Elena blushed from the compliments and squeezed Clementine's hands back, staring into her eyes. And it left Matt feeling a bit left out, seeing for the first time how Elena looked at his little sister.

"Thank you for trying to understand, Clemmy," she murmured.

"Right," Matt said, clearing his throat. "Wanna go break apart the love birds? He can't hog the birthday girl."

"You're so right," Clem said, getting up and pulling Elena with her.

The trio left the crypt, walking through the woods. They didn't immediately see Tyler and Caroline, so Matt turned on one of the flashlights and they started to trek through the trees.

"Caroline!" Matt called.

"She's so not here anymore," Clementine giggled. "They're off doing god knows what. Sorry, Matty."

"Great, we've been abandoned. Okay, we're going on a search party. It's a party. We can't party without the guest of honor. Clem's party was a bummer for those thirty minutes she was dead."

"Sorry to disappoint," Clem said sarcastically, making Elena bump her shoulder.

"Caroline!" Matt shouted.

"Come on, Caroline we don't have any more drinks! Matt's being haunted by the Fell ghosts," Elena yelled jokingly.

But then suddenly, Matt was knocked against a crypt wall at supernatural speed. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Clem yelled his name and dropped to check on him, only for Stefan to come up behind Elena and cover her mouth, keeping her from screaming.

"You're gonna come with me," Stefan said, looking down at a horrified Clem — she hadn't thought this would still happen.

So, Clementine did the only thing she could. She followed.

☽︎

Clem was in the backseat, keeping her eyes on Elena in the front. She watched her ex-boyfriend warily, feeling quite unsafe in the car. "What are you doing, Stefan?"

But instead of replying, Elena's phone rang and Stefan answered it. "Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now." Clementine couldn't hear from the back what Damon said in response. "I'm making my next move. I can't let Clem ruin my plans. And let me ask you something. What will Klaus do if he can't make any more hybrids?"

"What?" Elena yelled, fear coursing through her veins. Then Stefan rolled down the window, tossing her phone out of it. "What are you doing? Stefan, let us out of this car. Do you hear me? Let us out of the car!"

"This isn't funny, Stefan," Clem said as the car sped up. "So, you drank some human blood. So you're a Ripper. Doesn't mean you have to turn your humanity off and ruin everything."

"Oh, but it does mean that," he muttered.

"So, what's the plan, Stefan? What's the big move you're making?" Elena asked him.

"I took Klaus' family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one."

"So, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock us in some cave and keep us hostage? They'll find us."

"Maybe," Stefan shrugged. "Maybe, I'll just turn you into a vampire."

Elena, who never wanted to become a vampire, looked at him in horror. "Stop the car, Stefan! Stop the car!"

Rather than stop the car, Stefan instead called Klaus, putting it on speaker. "Stefan, how nice to hear your voice."

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus," he ordered.

"Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back," he shrugged.

"Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge," he threatened. "And Clem's staying with me for good measure."

Klaus hesitated for a moment, not wanting to admit how his heart froze for a second. "I don't believe you, Stefan. You won't kill them."

Stefan bit his wrist and forced it to Elena's mouth, his blood trickling down her throat. Elena tried to push him off, so Clem reached up to pull Stefan off of her.

"Get off her, bitch!"

"No! No! No! What are you doing?" Elena cried.

"What's going on?" Klaus asked, clearly concerned.

"I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire," Stefan said. Then he met Clem's angry eyes in the rearview mirror. "Blood doesn't work for your Little Seer. Maybe I'll just kill her over and over again. Just for fun."

"What the fuck, Stefan?" Clem asked, her eyes wide. "I thought we were good! You gave me a birthday present."

"I changed my mind. I'd rather just keep killing you."

"You won't do it," Klaus said, shaking his head.

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family, Klaus."

As they got closer and closer to the bridge, Stefan pressed on the gas pedal even harder, the vehicle speeding up. And fear flashed through Clementine's mind — not fear for herself but for Elena.

"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena begged.

"Stefan, stop the goddamn car!" Clementine shouted.

"Fine," Klaus said suddenly at hearing her voice. "I'll send them away. You win."

But Stefan didn't stop right away, which made Clementine feel sick. It was worse than any kind of rollercoaster.

"Stefan! Stefan, stop!" Elena screamed, clenching her eyes shut.

"Stop the car, Stefan!" Klaus ordered.

Just before they went over, Stefan slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop. Clem's head smacked into the window, making her see stars for a moment. As soon as the car came to a stop, Elena ran out of the car and came to the back, pulling Clem out as well.

"Get back in the car," Stefan said as Clem leaned against Elena, her head pounding.

"Stay away from us!" Elena yelled, keeping herself in front of Clementine in case Stefan tried something else.

"Elena, get in the car."

Tears fell from Elena's eyes. "How could you? My parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me."

Stefan, even if he felt bad, looked away, not wanting to see her cry. "Look, he had to believe that I would do it, all right? Your fear sold it."

"What if he hadn't?" Clem asked quietly.

"He did."

Elena shouted even louder. "Well, what if he hadn't?"

"He did, Elena!" Stefan barked out. "He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him."

Elena shook her head. "After everything, that's what mattered? Destroying Klaus? Even after all Clemmy said?"

"Destroying Klaus is all I have left," he said bitterly.

"You had me!"

"I lost you the minute Clementine came back to town. You just haven't let yourself admit that yet."

Clem reeled back at the mention of her name.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena asked, her voice cracking. "Why are you trying to make me hate you?"

Stefan just shrugged carelessly. "I don't really care what you think about me anymore, Elena." Then his eyes fell on the blonde while making his way back to the car. There was an unreadable emotion in his eyes. "I want you to tell Klaus something for me, Clem."

"Don't think I will," she muttered while letting Elena cry into her shoulder.

"Tell him I said that you make him weak. And that's why he's gonna lose."

☽︎

It was Damon who brought Clem and Elena to the Gilbert house. Clementine's car was there anyway from carpooling to Caroline's party. The only reason she wasn't staying over was because she needed to check on Matt.

"Thanks for picking us up," Elena murmured.

"Anytime. You gonna be okay?" he asked them both.

"I'll survive. Somehow, I always do," Elena said before smiling wryly at Clem. "And so does Clem. Just bounces back from the grave."

"You know, Stefan won this round today. He pushed Klaus to the edge and Klaus blinked," Damon noted. It was the first time since meeting the hybrid that someone had beat him. It would've been impressive if it weren't so scary for the girls.

"Well, his method sucked," Elena huffed.

"Still, it was kinda nice to see him the one caving for once," Damon admitted. Then he nodded to the girls, heading to his car. "Goodnight, Elena. Night, Tangerine."

It left them on the porch alone, and Clem wiped her tired eyes before digging her car keys out. But before leaving, she hugged Elena tightly, who melted against her.

"Stefan's a dick," Clem whispered, her own eyes watering. "And - and what you went through was horrible. I know I've died a lot, but still. You — he knows he shouldn't have, and that makes it worse. I know. And I'm so sorry that I couldn't see it and stop him."

"It's not your fault, Clemmy," she murmured before sighing. When they pulled back, Elena noticed that their faces were much closer.

"What did he mean?" Clem found herself asking.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, her heart picking up speed.

Clementine tilted her head knowingly. "That - that he'd lost you when I came to town."

More tears welled in Elena's eyes, and Clem instantly regretted her actions. "No, don't cry. Please. It - it doesn't matter. Please, don't cry, Lena."

"I just..." Elena took a deep breath. "I can't say it out loud, Clemmy. Not now."

Clementine felt for her, knowing that coming to terms with liking more than just boys could be a big and life-changing deal for some. And she didn't for one second want to make Elena feel rushed. She just wanted her to be happy.

"You don't have to say it ever," she said softly, cupping Elena's cheek. "But if you're ever ready, I'm gonna be here waiting, okay? As long as you're okay with me waiting with Enzo."

"I am," she said quietly, wiping her eyes. Her bottom lip was still trembling, and Clem hated the sight of it. "I know he'll always be a part of your life. And others too."

Clem smiled, glad that she understood. Then she pressed her forehead to Elena's, who closed her eyes to focus on the contact. "But I'll always have room for you."

☽︎

By the time Clem made it to her bedroom, she was emotionally drained. Caroline and Tyler were the ones to stumble across an unconscious Matt and bring him home. It seemed both Donovan siblings were sporting large headaches.

Enzo was waiting in Clem's room, flipping through one of her books. But he set it aside and opened his arms when he saw the exhausted look on her face.

She was all too happy to fall into his arms on the bed, hiding her face in his chest.

"Damon told me you were playing with Stefan today," he noted.

"Yeah, just a game of kidnappers," she muttered. Then she sat up to look him in the eye. "How attached to that car of his is he?"

Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Angel, if you're suggesting what I think you are, I could kiss you."

Clementine smirked at that, leaning a little closer. "Well, if arson will get me a kiss, I'm all for it."

"Are you sure?" Enzo asked, cupping her face. After all, he hadn't asked permission the first time. Clementine just nodded, moving even closer.

Enzo's nose brushed hers before he dipped down, kissing her gently. It was nice — not filled with fear, nor did it taste like tears. He tangled his fingers in her hair and put his other hand on her waist, pulling her flush against him. And when he nipped at her bottom lip, she hummed happily, parting her mouth to deepen the kiss.

Enzo had been right.

He was a good kisser when he got to use his tongue.