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In Mystic Falls, Caroline and Elena stood in the Gilbert kitchen with Alaric who had been in the middle of enjoying some breakfast Jenna made before she left for College. "I thought after the phone call you had with Cordelia, you were gonna leave her be?" Alaric asked with furrowed brows, his green eyes looking from Caroline to Elena. "Cordelia worked too hard to reach Senior year, she should be here experiencing it rather than out there being controlled by Klaus," Elena replied, her arms crossed and determination set in her eyes. "I understand she did it to save me but she's my sister, Ric. I won't give up on her because if it was the other way around, she'd hunt me down too," Caroline expressed with a knowing tone.

"So we need you to tell us everything about Klaus and Tennessee," Elena demanded as she stood tall next to Caroline. "Did you two miss the part where Damon said to stop?" Alaric asked the two, after Damon's encounter with Stefan, they decided that they had to back off before Cordelia got hurt. "Come on, Ric. Whatever Damon knows, you know," Elena responded, Caroline raising a brow in agreement with the brunette. "Ask Damon," Alaric told them, he could only detour them for so long before giving in; he wanted Cordelia to come home too. "Look, Ric, this is my little sister. Mom and I are falling apart without her. Jeremy and Tyler are messes, Bonnie needs her and--" Caroline trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

Elena rested her arm around Caroline, no one missed Cordelia more than the older Forbes twin; they had been inseparable all their lives. "They've been tracking werewolves, Alex and Klaus. All over the Eastern Seaboard. We thought we had 'em outside of Memphis," Alaric informed them, he could see the worry in Elena's eyes but it was the heartache in Caroline's that broke his resolve. "As far as we know, Cori has kept herself and Stefan out of Klaus' actions but... they haven't stopped him either," Alaric warned the two. "My sister is a lot of things but stupid isn't one. She wouldn't get in Klaus' way 'cause she knows his anger has repercussions," Caroline snapped back quickly. "Like Katherine said, Klaus' impulse and anger can overpower his love for Cordelia," Elena reminded Alaric who was now worried about Cordelia's safety again.

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In the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, Niklaus walks ahead of Alex who carries Ray Sutton's limp body on his shoulders while Stefan trailed behind with Cordelia on his back, the two whispering to each other despite knowing that Niklaus and Alex could still hear them. "You know, the hiking part isn't so bad, it's kind of romantic," Cordelia whispered to Stefan, he chuckled lightly at her words. "You're not exactly doing the hiking part, are you?" Stefan teased making Cordelia grin as she replied, "Oh please, you love having me this close to you. Don't even try to deny it." Before Stefan could reply, Klaus spoke up, "If it's a bother, I'd be happy to carry our dear soulmate myself."

Stefan narrowed his gaze at Niklaus' easy smile, the way his eyes were focused on Cordelia holding no jealousy but envy of Stefan's close relationship with Cordelia. "I'm quite comfortable where I am," Cordelia told Niklaus with a huff, tightening her arms around Stefan before kissing his jaw. "Are you okay, Alex?" Cordelia asked the Heretic softly, he turned his head to her and nodded. "Nothing I can't handle, Ms Forbes," Alex answered her. "Well, with those muscles and inhuman strength, I don't doubt that," Cordelia remarked with a wink directed at Alex, the man chuckled quietly while Niklaus rolled his eyes.

"Well, we've found our pack," Niklaus told them as they reached a camp ground. Alex entered the camp first, placing Ray's body down in front of the werewolves lurking around. A woman rushed over, dropping to the ground beside Ray with fear and sorrow flooding her eyes, "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?" Stefan put Cordelia down, the two hovering in the background while Niklaus stepped forward. "The important question is who am I. Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus," Niklaus introduced himself, a smirk on his face. "You're the Hybrid," The woman replied. "Ah, you've heard of me. Fantastic," Niklaus remarked with a grin.

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Caroline and Elena met with Tyler and Jeremy at the Mystic Grill hoping that the boys' research would help them locate Cordelia and Stefan. "A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up. But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places were they don't have to do that, where they can enjoy it," Tyler explained to the two girls hoping it'll help. "What kind of places?" Elena questioned. "Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff," Tyler answered her. "Anywhere in Tennessee?" Caroline asked him hopeful. "Uh, Mason mentioned a place. Give me your phone," Tyler said as he reached for Caroline's phone.

He pulled up a map and found the mountains he had been searching for, handing her phone back over. "Thanks for this. We know it's asking a lot," Elena expressed to Tyler. "Not really. I bit Caroline, accident or not... Cordelia's important to all of us, bringing her home is the main focus," Tyler assured her, sending a half smile to Caroline who held no anger at Tyler for his uncontrolled actions. "Hey, also... Anyone else notice how weird Matt has been acting?" Jeremy asked the three at the table, they all looked towards the mentioned boy; dark circles under his eyes and tense shoulders. "Keep an eye on him," Caroline suggested, she felt uneasy about his behaviour.

Saying their farewells, Caroline and Elena made their way over to Alaric who was sitting at the bar. "Did you get anything?" Alaric asked the two. "How do you feel about a little hike through the Smoky Mountains?" Elena asked Alaric with a hopeful smile. "You want to hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon? With a vampire?" Alaric asked as he motioned to Caroline who crossed her arms in defense of his words. "We'll be out of there before the moon is full. If you don't come with us, we're going by ourselves," Elena told Alaric who raised a brow at her. "A-All right, fine. Let's... Let's just go. But, uh, you're driving," Alaric told her with a sigh.

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"It's fascinating, actually..." Niklaus began as the Werewolves stood guarded with the new presences on their camp grounds, "A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true Hybrid." Cordelia frowned at the way Niklaus spoke with such self-righteousness that his ego peeks through severely. As he had finished his sentence, Ray had woken up with a sudden gasp. "Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic," Niklaus complimented making Cordelia scoff as she whispered, "So you'll be the best of friends then." Niklaus sent her a small playful glare while Stefan and Alex bit back laughs at the remark.

"What's happening to me?" Ray asked with a groan. "Alex?" Niklaus called his minion forward with a smirk. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die," Alex spoke up as he stepped forward, his eyes trailing over the crowd that was present. "Why not use her then?" A man spoke up pointing at Cordelia before crossing his arms and stepping back when Niklaus' eyes flared in warning. "I'd suggest, mate, that you don't talk about her," Niklaus warned before adding, "Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone? A boyfriend or girlfriend along for the ride?"

Cordelia frowned as Niklaus pointed one of the men out, Alex rushed over to him before biting into his forearm before pulling him over to Ray. The woman protested but Cordelia's eyes flared rose gold and froze the woman in place; he power swarmed the area alerting the wolves of who she truly was. "Impossible..." The woman remarked through slow breaths, the lack of feeling in her body wasn't nice. "If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is, I won't want to stop," Alex warned with a sickening smirk, his eyes cold and calculating. "It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die," Niklaus told the woman frozen in place.

"I'd rather die than be a vampire," The woman snapped at him, her eyes narrowed in defiance. "Wrong choice," Niklaus snapped before he bit into his wrist and fed her his blood. As he does so, Ray feeds off of the human to complete his transition. "She'll thank me for that later," Niklaus told the others before snapping the woman's neck, Cordelia let go of her magic's hold of her letting them drop to the ground. "Okay, who's next?" Niklaus asked the others, his eyes blazing yellow and fangs present. Cordelia sighed and stepped away from the sight, she had an uncomfortable pit in her stomach; something warning her that something bad was coming.

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In the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Alaric led Elena and Caroline along a cliff side by a river. "In a couple of hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be," Alaric informed the two girls. "If you let me go, I could search this quicker," Caroline commented with a pout, her arms crossed as she was upset with Alaric's rule of sticking close. "Werewolves, Caroline. It's too risky," Alaric reminded the blonde, he knew Cordelia would lose her shit if something happened to Caroline. "You were a boy scout, weren't you?" Elena asked in an attempt to lighten the conversation, "A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?"

The three came to a stop as Alaric opened his bag to reveal his weapons collection, the sight stunned Elena and slightly unnerved Caroline. "Wow. You came stocked," Elena commented. "Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching. Here, put that in your bag," Alaric handed her a grenade. "Vervain grenade?" Elena questioned confused, Caroline stepping back slightly in case it accidentally went off. "Wolfsbane," Alaric corrected, sending Caroline a reassuring smile that eased her nerves. "Well, since we're exchanging gifts..." Elena spoke before holding out John's magical ring that bought the wearer back to life as long as the death was at the hand of something Supernatural.

"That's John Gilbert's ring," Alaric pointed out. "It was yours once. Go ahead, take it," Elena encouraged as she held it out, "It'll protect you from whatever Supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into." Alaric sighed and shook his head, "John gave it to you." Elena rolled her eyes fondly, "Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gonna work for me. He left it for if I ever have kids." Alaric chuckled softly at that, "Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" Caroline laughed at that comment, she had to agree, the Gilberts were stubborn as hell.

"Okay, and how 'bout you borrow it until after we survive this? I'm sure Jenna wouldn't be happy if I got you killed on this trip," Elena suggested with hopeful eyes, Alaric sighed but took the ring and slid it onto his pointer finger. "Elena!" Caroline called right as Damon showed up, pushing Elena into the river below. "Damon! How are you even here?" Elena asked, her fists splashing against the water. "Thanks for the tip, brother," Damon spoke to Alaric who lowered his gaze, Caroline scoffed before moving to help Elena out of the river. "You sold us out!" Elena exclaimed at Alaric in disbelief. "You think I'd take you two to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" Alaric questioned the two.

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Over in the camp, Niklaus gives some blood to the human before compelling him, "There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up." Cordelia stood by Stefan, her eyes watching a shivering Ray; his aura seemed to be imploding on himself, almost as though his body was rejecting the transition. "They're dead. They're all dead," Ray whimpered looking at his pack mates, his tone pale and ashy. "Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon," Niklaus expressed but Cordelia and Stefan couldn't help but think otherwise. "So is this your masterplan? Build an army of Hybrid slaves?" Stefan asked Niklaus, his arm around Cordelia's waist keeping her close.

"No, not slaves. Soldiers, comrades," Niklaus preached with a grin. "For what war, might I ask?" Stefan inquired further. "Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares to pick a fight," Niklaus expressed to Stefan and Cordelia couldn't argue with his view but she knew better; she knew about his father. "What makes you so sure they'll be loyal?" Stefan asked next, he didn't trust any of this. "Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you finally start giving in to our dear friendship," Niklaus answered him, Stefan laughed dryly at that.

Niklaus noticed Cordelia's expression, the horror in her eyes and followed his beloveds gaze to Ray who appeared to be bleeding from his eyes. "Something's wrong," Niklaus said gaining the full attention of Cordelia, Stefan and Alex. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?" Stefan asked. "Well, obviously," Niklaus sarcastically remarked. Cordelia and Stefan stepped back slightly, the latter looked down at Cordelia who appeared to be extremely uneasy. "Cori, what's wrong?" Stefan asked her, his hand cupping her face as she looked up at him. "I don't think he'll survive," Cordelia answered, her words hitting Niklaus who sneered at the thought; he didn't understand what was wrong.

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Rosemary Speaks. . .

Sorry for not updating since the 1st butttt... I've been working on my fic 'Heirs of Ipswich' based on the 2006 movie 'The Covenant'...

Plus, been preoccupied with life and personal things but here is a new update! More coming soon <3

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions?

See you in the next chapter!