CHAPTER THREE

"Come on, let's get this over with." Dean says as he walks into Nycole and Elena's room, gaining her attention.

"That's the spirit." Nyx says sarcastically as she stands from the window seat.

The pair get to the high school to help set up for the carnival, and Sam looks at the brunette as they get out of the car. "Remind me what I'm doing again." He says.

"Helping Jeremy with whatever he's doing — I'm not sure what he's been assigned to. I just don't want him to be alone." She tells him, and he nods.

"Yeah, you got it."

"And what am I doing?" Dean asks.

"You, sir, are stuck with me." She says, and he smirks as he looks down at her. "I need someone to keep me from killing Damon if he shows up tonight."

"I could think of worse ways to spend my day." He says, and she chuckles.

"Just wait until we get started, you'll be singing a different tune then. This has to be done to perfection, or Caroline will have our heads." She tells him. "And believe me when I say that she scares me more than our day job."

"I'll keep that in mind." He says as they walk out of the parking lot.

"There's Jeremy. I'll see you guys later." Sam says before walking away from them.

"Alright, let's get started." Nyx says, but Dean grabs her hand, pulling her to a stop.

"I have a better idea." He says with a smile as she turns to face him, and he lowers his head toward hers.

His hands are on her waist as he presses his lips firmly against hers, and she clutches the front of his jacket as she kisses him. It's brief, but sweet, and then he rests his forehead against hers. The pair stay that way a moment longer, both of their eyes closed in contentment.

"Dean..." She takes a deep breath as she drops her head, letting it rests against his chest.

"I know." He nods, pulling back so that he can look down at her.

"It's just— I still stand by everything that I said after the pageant. I'm not ready for... Well, anything right now." She says as she looks up at him. "I was with Tyler for honestly, like, ten years, and I feel like I'm just starting to figure out who I am as my own person. And I'm really liking that, and you are a big part of that. I wouldn't be able to be doing any of this without you, and if I'm being completely honest... I'm afraid that that might make you a target for things that I don't fully understand yet. Damon was already instigating a fight with you, and then he killed my brother because I told him that I don't have feelings for him. And it terrifies me that Katherine can convincingly pretend to be me. That means she's watching us, and—"

"Hey, Nyx. Nyx." He cuts her off, and she looks at him. "I understand. I told you after the pageant that I do. I didn't think that the other night was going to change everything between us. I just wanted to kiss you one last time before my window of opportunity closed completely. Am I a little disappointed that it's now definitely shut? Hell yeah. More than a little, but that's okay. I'm still here for you." He tells her, and she laughs as she shakes her head at him.

"Thank you." She stretches up onto her tippy-toes and presses a soft kiss to his lips one more time. "For everything you do for me, and for being so understanding."

"Anything for you, Darlin'." He winks at her, and she smiles. "And just for the record — I'm not afraid of Damon, Katherine, or anyone else who wants to come after us."

"I'm not afraid of Damon either." She says, and he sighs as he reaches up and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Hey, Nyx?" Matt gets their attention as he walks toward that. "Sorry to interrupt."

"That's alright. I think we got everything sorted." She says as she and Dean pull apart. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Caroline today?" He asks, and she shakes her head.

"No, but I talked to her on the phone earlier." She tells him. "That's why I'm here. I've been told that I'm supposed to help set things up."

"Did she seem alright when you talked to her?"

"Yeah. She seemed very... Caroline. She was a little bossy, slightly​ neurotic." She shrugs. "Why, is everything okay?"

"I don't know. She seemed a little crazier than usual. She was sitting in the dark and she freaked out when I opened the curtains." He tells her.

"She probably just had a headache. I'm sure she's fine, Matt." She tells him, and he nods, but he doesn't seem convinced. "I'll tell you what, I'll go see her tonight before we leave and then I'll call you."

"Alright, thanks." He says, and she gives him a reassuring smile.

They brunette then takes a deep breath as she looks up at Dean again. "Come on, we have work to do." She says, and they start walking.

Sam helps Jeremy get three hundred gold fish set up for the goldfish toss, and Dean and Nycole set up different booths and games for everyone to play.

"You know, I've never been to a carnival before." Dean says, and she turns to look at him.

"Really?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

"There was never any time."

"Well, we're here now. Might as well enjoy it." She says with a smile.

"Yeah, I think we could use one night to pretend we're normal." He agrees, and she chuckles.

—

"Guess what." Elena gets their attention as she runs over to her sister and Dean. "Bonnie found herself a cute guy working the carnival."

"Really? Way to go, Bonnie." Nyx says, and the younger girl laughs.

"So... When do you guys leave?"

"Sam's getting our stuff from the house, and we'll leave after the carnival."

"Matt wants you to talk to Caroline before we head out." Dean reminds her, and she nods.

"Right, so, uh... We'll probably leave here a little earlier. Before visiting hours are over." Nyx tells her sister. "I'll find you before we go, I promise."

Elena nods. "Alright. Well, have fun." She smiles at the pair before walking away from them.

"I'm gonna grab something to drink. You want anything?" Dean asks, and Nyx nods as she turns to face him.

"Yeah, popcorn please." She says, and he nods before heading toward one of the vendors.

"Hey, Nyx!" Stefan calls as he makes his way over to her. "Have you seen Elena?"

"Yeah, she just..." She looks in the direction that her sister went. "Disappeared. Sorry, I don't know where she went."

"It's okay, I'll find her."

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about." She says, and he turns back to her.

"What's up?" He asks.

"Damon told me what you said to him before, about leaving me alone because I'm better off with Dean than him. And then you got mad when he kissed Katherine, thinking that she was me." She says, and he nods. "Why is that?"

"I guess it's because you and I are friends, and I know my brother." He says, and she just looks at him, waiting for more. "Remember when I first told you that you and Elena were adopted, and that I stayed in town to make sure that neither of you were Katherine?"

She nods.

"Well, even though you weren't here for very long after that, I did get to see what kind of person you are. You're kind and caring, strong and brave. You're selfless. Honestly, you're probably one of the best people in this town." He says. "And I guess after saving you, I sort of feel responsible for you. I just want to make sure you don't get hurt again like you were before."

"Thanks, that's very sweet of you​." She says, and he nods. "Truthfully, I kinda thought your reason would've solely been for Elena. I'm surprised it's about me."

"If you ever need anything, Nycole, you can always call me." He tells her, and she nods.

He leaves to find her sister, and she walks over to the game a few feet away from her. It's one of those laser gun games. She plays​ and beats it easily. "Yes!" She cheers, and the guy running the booth gives her a rather large, stuffed teddy bear.

"That's cheating." Dean says as he walks up behind her.

She turns around, and he's only about a foot away from her. "No, it's skill." She refutes and then waves at him with the bear's paw.

He chuckles and shakes his head at her as he sets her popcorn and his soda on the table near the booth that they're at. "That thing is staying here when we leave." He tells her.

"No, please take me with you." She talks for the bear. "I promise I'll behave. We can all kick monster ass together. You, me, Sammy, and the crazy girl behind my head." She says, and he shakes his head again as he looks from the bear to her as she peeks out from behind it.

"That's just wrong." He says, and she makes the bear shrug. "There's something wrong with you."

"You're just figuring that out?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

"No, I've always known." He says and she giggles. "This is just different."

"Different how?" She questions as she lowers the bear.

"I had no clue you could be so strange."

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me." She tells him. "I'm not just a girl who's parents died and then she became this badass hunter chick. I haven't always been all doom and gloom."

"Well, I look forward to getting to know more about you." He says, and she smiles at him.

"Well, good. 'Cause you're kinda stuck with me."

"I could call Sam, and leave without you."

Her jaw drops as she walks over to shove him, causing him to laugh as he takes a step back. "A low blow. You can't abandon me in this Godforsaken town... Naw, I have nothing to worry about; you'd be lost without me."

"Oh, you think so?" He asks, and she nods with a smile on her face now. "I—"

"Nycole, we need to talk." Damon says as he walks over to them.

Nyx sighs as she shakes her head, annoyed that he interrupted them. "No, we don't." She says as she reluctantly looks over at him.

"Look, I know I'm the last person you wanna see right now, but I need you to come with me." He says. "Both of you."

She and Dean look at each other with furrowed brows before turning back to him.

"I need you to come with me, now." He says, and she takes a deep breath.

They go into a classroom to talk, and Stefan, Elena, and Sam come in soon after. Damon tells them that Caroline's a vampire and she had a message for him from Katherine.

"How did this happen?" Stefan asks.

"Well, I fed her my blood, and Katherine obviously killed her, and A plus B equals..." Damon says.

"But why?" Elena asks.

"Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty little slut."

"And she said game on? What does that even mean?" Nyx questions.

"It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know." He says.

"But why Caroline?" Sam asks.

"I don't know."

"Caroline must be going completely out of her mind." Stefan says. "She has no idea what's happening to her."

"Oh, I think she does." Damon says, and they all look back at him. "All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition." He explains.

"You son of a—" Nyx starts toward him, but Dean grabs her. He wraps his arm around her waist and keeps her with him.

"We have to find her." Dean says.

"Yep, and kill her." Damon says, and Nyx looks back at him.

"You are not gonna kill Caroline​." She says.

"She knows who we are. She's obviously a liability." He argues. "We gotta get rid of her."

"She is not someone to get rid of." Nyx says, and Dean tightens his hold on the brunette, keeping her back against his chest. "If you hurt her, so help me God, Damon, I will hunt you down and drive a stake through your heart. After everything that you've done, not only to her, but including trying to kill Jeremy last night and now this. If she dies because of you, I will kill you. Even if it means I have to go through Stefan to do it."

"Nycole—"

"We're not killing her." Stefan cuts Elena off.

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" Damon asks, and Dean wraps both arms around Nyx as she tries to get away from him. "Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother's a vampire hunter. Guys, come on, we all know how this story ends, so let's just flip to the last chapter and—"

"It's not an option, Damon." Elena cuts him off, and Sam puts his hand on Nyx's​ arm. She looks up at him, and he gives her a look like he has a plan. She stops fighting​ against Dean, but he doesn't let her go. He knows better than to give her free range after everything that Damon was just saying.

"No?" Damon asks. "Your silence is deafening, Stefan."

"You're a dick." Nyx says as she looks back at the bastard who's still talking.

"Wait. Wasn't there a school carnival the night you staked Vicki?" He asks his brother.

"Halloween." Nyx mumbles, and Sam shifts uncomfortably beside her and his brother.

"Talk about a town where history repeats itself." He continues. "You know I'm right."

Stefan looks at Nyx before standing up and walking over to his brother. "We're not gonna kill her." He tells him and then they all start out of the room, leaving Damon behind.

"It's the only way." He calls after them.

"Go to hell!" Nyx yells over her shoulder.

Nycole and the two boys go to the car on the far end of the parking lot, and Dean opens the trunk. He grabs the gun with the wooden bullets and then hands it to Nyx. They each get the vervain guns just in case they need extra help.

The hunters start walking back toward the carnival and see Caroline sandwiched between Elena and Stefan. They're all facing Damon, who's looking down at Elena with a stake held near her head. He was going to kill Caroline, but Elena and her boyfriend just barely made it there in time to save her.

Nyx quickly raises​ her gun and aims​ it at Damon's hand. She takes a second to make sure she has it right and then pulls the trigger. He drops the stake and clutches his hand as Nyx and the boys run over to the four of them. Damon looks at them and then looks at the gun in her hand.

"You're lucky it wasn't your head." Nyx says as he digs the bullet out of the back of his hand.

With all the noise in the carnival and the distance between them and it, nobody even heard the gunshot.

Damon looks at Nyx as he drops​ the bullet on the ground. "Whatever happens, it's on you." He says and then walks away.

Bonnie walks over then and Nyx looks up at Dean. She sighs as he takes the gun from her. She moves​ her hair back and shakes her head at the whole situation.

"Guys." Sam says as Caroline and Stefan go into a nearby bathroom.

Dean and Nyx look at his brother and he then motions over toward Bonnie and Elena. Nyx walks over to them and she sees a dead body in the back of a truck. It's a man. Her eyes widen and she gasps as she turns her back to the body. She saw the blood on Caroline's face, but with Damon trying to kill her, it hadn't quite clicked in her head yet.

"I'm gonna take the stuff back to the car." Sam says as he walks over to his brother and takes the guns from him.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie says, referring to Caroline.

Nyx has to step away from the dead body in the truck bed, and she then walks over to the stake that Damon dropped. She picks it up as he walks back over to them with a shovel in hand.

"Well, don't pout about it. We got a body to bury." Damon looks between the twins as Nyx stands up straight. "I thought you two were callin' all the shots." He says, and neither of them says anything. "No?"

"Screw you, Damon." Nyx says, and he looks at the dead guy in the truck.

"Sucks to be you, buddy." He says, and she pulls Elena away from him.

Damon suddenly drops the shovel and grabs his head; he doubles over and starts groaning in pain. The vampire then falls to his knees and the twins turn to look over at Bonnie.

"What's going on?" Dean asks as Bonnie uses her magic to turn on the hose.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie says as the water runs down toward Damon.

"I didn't do this!" Damon says through the pain. He's laying on the asphalt, still holding his head, and groaning.

"Bonnie, it wasn't​ his fault." Elena tells her.

"Nycole?" Sam walks up beside his brother.

"Stay there." Nyx quickly tells the brothers, and they exchange a confused look.

"Everything that happens is his fault, Elena." Bonnie argues.

"I would love to agree, but this one isn't on him, Bonnie." Nyx tells her. "It was the device that made Tyler crash, and Katherine who killed Caroline. It wasn't​ him this time."

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Elena questions.

The water suddenly ignites, and Nyx grabs her sister and quickly pulls her away from the spreading flames. The fire slowly travels toward Damon, and the twins realize what exactly she's doing — Bonnie's going to kill him.

"Bonnie, stop it." Elena says.

"Nycole."

"Don't." Nyx says as Dean takes a step toward them.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, stop it." Elena repeats.

Damon starts screaming as his legs catch fire.

"Bonnie, stop it! You're gonna kill him!"

"Elena—" Nyx starts to yell as her sister runs and jumps over the fire. She pulls Bonnie out of her trance, and the fire disappears.

"Why— Why did you stop me?" Bonnie questions as she looks at Elena.

"Because this isn't us. Bonnie, this can't be us." She tells her, and tears run down Bonnie's cheeks. "Come on."

"Well, I do kill monsters." Nyx says as she then walks over to Damon, and Elena and Bonnie leave. "So, Caroline lives or you die." She tells Damon as she kneels down beside him.

He reaches up in a blur and grabs her by her throat, and she stabs him in the stomach with the stake that she still has in her hand. He groans in pain as he lets go of her and rolls back onto his side.

"I told you, Damon, you don't scare me." She says, and he looks up at her. "I should've left you in that basement to burn."

"Nyx." Dean calls, and she stands up.

—

"Are you gonna be okay with me not being here?" Nyx asks her sister, and she nods.

"How's Caroline?" The younger girl asks as she sits on her sister's bed and starts messing with the bear that she won earlier tonight.

"She's alright. Or, she will be." She tells her.

"So, you're leaving now?"

Nyx nods. "Yeah, I've already checked in on Caroline and talked to Matt. We have one more stop and then we're headed out of town."

"Be careful." Elena says, and she smiles.

"I always am."

Nyx makes her way downstairs,​ and Jenna and Jeremy look at her. "I really wish you'd​ stay 'til morning." Jenna says.

"We'll be alright." She tells her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She says as she hugs her niece.

Nyx hugs Jeremy after. "Call me if you need anything." She says, and he nods.

"Take care of her." Jeremy says to Dean and Sam, and they both promise them that they will.

They leave after that and head over to the Lockwood mansion so Nyx can talk to them. She knocks on the door, and Mason answers.

"Hey, I'll call Tyler down." He says.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you before saying goodbye to Tyler." She tells him.

Something in her voice tells him that it's serious, so he steps outside of the house before closing the front door behind him. "Is everything okay?" He asks.

"I don't know." She says. "See, my friend was on his way back to the carnival earlier when he saw you break up a fight between Tyler and some guy. That isn't at all surprising. What I want to know is what he saw in your eyes."

"My eyes?" He questions.

"He said they changed, that they looked like they were glowing." She tells him.

"Your friend was mistaken." He turns back toward the house.

"What are you?" She asks, and he stops.

"What?" He looks back at her.

"I've learned a lot since I left Mystic Falls last June. One of those things is that nothing really seems to be impossible anymore." She says. "Now, I can't leave without knowing that my friends​ and family are semi-safe. So, one more time... What are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He says, and she nods slowly.

"You and I both know that you're lying, so I have a warning for you. Being my friend's relative doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever the hell you want in this town." She tells him. "Don't do anything that you'll regret, Mason."

"What happened to you, Nycole?"

"You know the founder's council and their secret job?" She asks, and he just looks at the teenager. "My friends and I are like that, only better."

He studies her face for a second before speaking up again. "I'll go get Tyler." He says and then heads back inside.