No. ( He speeds out of the parking lot. ) It's Elena, Sam. Let me. I'm gonna have to one of these days right? Six degrees of my girlfriend? ( Elena - Bonnie - Bela. ) It'll take me all night to get back, but rally everyone for a morning briefing.
( And maybe Bela. )
I'll call you back. Try to -- ( Fuck. ) Her parents know? And Jeremy? ( A beat. ) Weren't Stefan and Buffy getting there tonight? Another full house?
( He ends the call, gives himself a stubborn minute as he weighs the zero options they have with all the witches all the board. It takes him another minute, because he saved her in his phone under an unkind name "Traitorous Bitch," and he reminds himself what that unkind name is.
A long, suffering, guttural sigh and he's connecting the call betweent hem. )
[Bela, Elijah and Rusty are having dinner at the Abattoir when her phone rings. Normally she doesn't answer business calls over dinner, but things are winding down, the men retreating for drinks so she gathers her wine glass as she places her phone to the ear.
The unknown number isn't out of the ordinary in terms of referrals, so she doesn't think anything of it as she answers.]
The Colony took Elena. We need to know where and how long we have.
( He treats it like business, choosing not to swipe, snipe, or insult. It won't help Elena and she's the priority. Getting her back. He and Bela can do that another time. But, this can't wait. )
[Any witty retort is swallowed in the face of what he actually says, because she doesn't know enough but she knows any spell that deals with the doppelganger is bad. She shifts Dean to speaker, and calls out after her dinner guest.]
Rusty! They took the doppelganger.
[And while they're waiting for Rusty to join the call:]
I'm going to guess they're aiming for the solstice, so I'll say you have roughly ... eighteen hours east coast time. Where are you?
( Leaving behind a part of his heart and he doesn't even know if he's allowed to think like that. But, he fucking cares. He'll get back to Ben. He'll get Elena and get back to Ben. ) Sam and everyone else are -- ( Fuck, can he trust her. ) They're together in Kansas.
[She keeps barreling forward before he can interrupt her and accuse her of trying to lessen his numbers:]
You'd just be wasting time - you need to go to Baltimore. I'll send you and Sam both the address.
[Rusty joins them in the room, and before Bela can issue any order in his direction. "Are you sure it's the Inner Circle that took her? A lot of people could have use for a doppelganger."]
["The one and only." He looks back at Bela. "Are you sure - "
Bela cuts him off decisively.]
Trust me. You want to ruin someone's day? You throw a Winchester at it and see what happens.
[Rusty sighs before acquiescing. Fine. These guys have been trusted with the bodies and it seems to have worked out so far, so he'll follow Bela's lead.]
How many charms do you have made?
["Currently? Four."]
It will do. Dean, do you still have an angel on call? I can provide something that will help you move faster.
[Cas appears in the passenger's seat next to him, brow furrowing in confusion as to why he's been summoned when he already couldn't find Elena.
Bela just continues, unaware of the angel's presence.]
I'll send one for you and then Sam can distribute the rest however he pleases. I'll have the routewitch who made them so we should be able to get there expeditiously.
[Before anything too dangerous goes down. She's truly praying that they don't arrive there to find half the Inner Circle already transplanted.
Rusty is simply lingering in the background, trying to figure out why they want the doppelganger now, why this ascension? What are they planning?]
( Dean holds a hand up, listen, because he guesses Cas already can't find Elena, too. )
Bela.
( Dean finally explains. ) Root-witches? Better not spring a tree up in the middle of the car. ( And then to Cas. ) We're in a game of Uno and she's sending us skip cards. Need you to take the rest to Sam when they get here.
Rusty's brow furrows and her eyes roll to the ceiling, before she corrects him.]
Route, Dean. Like the route you drive.
[Castiel disappears, before arriving next to Bela in the Abattoir, hand out. "I am not a delivery service." He just wants to make that clear.
Bela looks over at the angel in a trenchcoat, before nodding as Rusty places the four charms on leather cords in his hands. "We appreciate your help, Rusty adds, just to make it clear.
Castiel disappears, then reappears in the Impala again. "I'm here."]
Place the charm on the rearview mirror. It will allow you to reduce the drive time by a third.
[So instead of a ten hour drive, it's looking more like six and a half.]
( The route-witch sends him to a route that shifts his perspective, like something out of one of his late night creepy pasta binges. But, he knows where it's taking him, so he puts the pedal to the medal. ) Get the others to Sam, tell them I'll meet them there.
( He'll thank him later. And remind him no he's not a delivery service. )
Rusty meeting us there, or is he just gonna point us in their direction.
[Not even the people they are theoretically going to save. That means every witch that they run into between the door and Elena are not worth trying to negotiate with.]
[Bela would like to, more for her own personal safety than anything else. He might be a deterrent for when this spirit of cooperation fades and Dean decides he still has some bad blood to work out of his system. But Elijah is his own person, and this isn't necessarily his problem.
So she glances over at Elijah and raises an eyebrow.]
("We need everyone we can get," he says, in order to sway them toward his side. )
I think I could be of a very particular sort of help. Dean, this is Elijah. Rusty, Bela, and I will be arriving in six hours. Be ready when we are. It may take all of us to get Elena back.
And with that Bela hangs up, and begins to make her own preparations.
Meanwhile, Castiel drops in to give one of the charms to Dean, before taking the rest to Sam at the bunker, arriving just as Sam (and Dean) receive the text from Bela with the address.
But to catch up the (likely unhappy) group:]
Elena is being held in a witch compound in Baltimore. Dean is going straight there, and Bela, Elijah and Rusty are going to meet them there. These charms -
[He holds them up.]
- are made by a routewitch and designed to help you cover more distance more quickly.
And for those of us panicking and perpetually behind?
( Allison takes this one, giving Cas an apologetic look and taking Grayson and Miranda a few feet away. She can explain this right. Even if it might be too much information. It's better to lead with everything.
"The group of witches that Sam and Dean were sent after, that brought you back, some of their numbers, the last of them, have taken Elena. Those charms will ensure we get there before the solstice where a ritual will be taking place. A ritual Elena might not survive if we don't leave right now," she says, grimacing. "Which is why we're going. Elijah is one of the oldest vampires and it's a good thing he's on our side, Rusty is the dissenting member of that group of witches. He - started this crusade."
Kind of. It is a little more complicated. )
And if he wouldn't have done anything, just left them alone.
("Then this would still be going on, the heirs they want to body-jack would be none the wiser and Elena might still be taken, but we'd have nothing to go on.")
But we don't know that would have happened. Maybe they only took her as a contingency because of this assault on all fronts.
( "Grayson. This was our fight whether we like it or not," she says, making it clear, she doesn't. "I know what it must feel like,")
With all do respect --
("You're right. I'm sorry. But, Elena to you, is every one of my friends every time they step outside. Every time they find someone that needs help, because they have no one else. I am the head of an organization where some of my men and my women don't always make it back," she says, plainly. )
Elena isn't in your employ.
("No, but she's a good person. And she helps people every day. Every day in any way she can. Yes, her life was a lot more complicated right after you died, but what she is will never go away. So, she does things on her terms. Yes, she was taken, but, sir, Mrs. Gilbert. She sent me an SOS. We were able to hear the conversation. Your daughter is resourceful. And caring. And would rather go with those witches than allow a wing of the children's ward be blown up. That's the daughter you raised. You can make different decisions than your daughter. You can also wish she made different decisions. But, I know Elena, and the best thing you can do for her, is to accept her. All of her. We are getting her out of this, but we have to go.")
[Sam is tired of this circling conversation that's been happening on and off since the Gilberts came back, and it's not his place to get involved. But Elena isn't here to speak for herself and neither is Dean so:]
They had planted one of their witches in her life, years before Dean and I came back into the picture. They were keeping her close so that when they were ready, she was readily available. So whether we were involved or not, whether she and Dean had gotten together or not, the witches would have taken her. At least we're aware of what happened, and we're able to rally the troops.
[He tamps down the if we weren't the ones involved in this, you wouldn't be here. He knows what it's like to come back from the dead, it's disorienting and difficult. But it's also worth saying.
Miranda sets her jaw, still unconvinced and unhappy with the way she perceives her daughter has been placed in danger, but there's only so much they can do there. "So what exactly is the plan? Trust this Elijah? I've heard stories of Elena working with him in the past, and he hasn't exactly been helpful. Didn't you say something about Elijah stabbing you in the back?"
Stefan, who's been hanging back quietly with Buffy in the corner, really doesn't want to draw too much attention to himself without Elena's presence, but he's the one best able to speak on this, so:
"Not saying that it didn't happen, but Elijah is fond of your daughter, and no other members of Elijah's immediate family is involved in this. In fact, the person he cares about most in this whole mess is on our side. He has no reason to turn his back on us."
"Fond? We're relying on an Original vampire's fondness for Elena?" Miranda seems suspicious.
Sam rubs his eyes.]
We really don't have time to keep debating this. We need to be moving. Even with these charms we have a long drive ahead of us.
[Stefan sighs, before looking directly at Grayson. "Look, I know that there are likely conversations you want to have with me and you have no reason to trust me, but you asked me to save your daughter once and I did, and I didn't stop after that once. Elena and I aren't involved anymore but she's one of my best friends in the world, and I want to see her alive. Will you at least trust me when I say that I will bring her back to you?]
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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[She may gloat significantly less if it's Sam. Or she at least won't waste time trying to antagonize him to death.]
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( And maybe Bela. )
I'll call you back. Try to -- ( Fuck. ) Her parents know? And Jeremy? ( A beat. ) Weren't Stefan and Buffy getting there tonight? Another full house?
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[So the sooner they get that info from Bela, the better.]
Drive safe. And don't let her get the better of you.
[Because even when she's being helpful, Bela is an asshole.]
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A long, suffering, guttural sigh and he's connecting the call betweent hem. )
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The unknown number isn't out of the ordinary in terms of referrals, so she doesn't think anything of it as she answers.]
Hello?
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( He treats it like business, choosing not to swipe, snipe, or insult. It won't help Elena and she's the priority. Getting her back. He and Bela can do that another time. But, this can't wait. )
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Rusty! They took the doppelganger.
[And while they're waiting for Rusty to join the call:]
I'm going to guess they're aiming for the solstice, so I'll say you have roughly ... eighteen hours east coast time. Where are you?
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( Leaving behind a part of his heart and he doesn't even know if he's allowed to think like that. But, he fucking cares. He'll get back to Ben. He'll get Elena and get back to Ben. ) Sam and everyone else are -- ( Fuck, can he trust her. ) They're together in Kansas.
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[She keeps barreling forward before he can interrupt her and accuse her of trying to lessen his numbers:]
You'd just be wasting time - you need to go to Baltimore. I'll send you and Sam both the address.
[Rusty joins them in the room, and before Bela can issue any order in his direction. "Are you sure it's the Inner Circle that took her? A lot of people could have use for a doppelganger."]
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( When he gets off the phone, he'll tell Sam to get things in gear. )
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Bela cuts him off decisively.]
Trust me. You want to ruin someone's day? You throw a Winchester at it and see what happens.
[Rusty sighs before acquiescing. Fine. These guys have been trusted with the bodies and it seems to have worked out so far, so he'll follow Bela's lead.]
How many charms do you have made?
["Currently? Four."]
It will do. Dean, do you still have an angel on call? I can provide something that will help you move faster.
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( Never mind she knows they have an angel at all. She runs in her circles. It's fine. Elena's the priority. )
Sam, too?
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Bela just continues, unaware of the angel's presence.]
I'll send one for you and then Sam can distribute the rest however he pleases. I'll have the routewitch who made them so we should be able to get there expeditiously.
[Before anything too dangerous goes down. She's truly praying that they don't arrive there to find half the Inner Circle already transplanted.
Rusty is simply lingering in the background, trying to figure out why they want the doppelganger now, why this ascension? What are they planning?]
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Bela.
( Dean finally explains. ) Root-witches? Better not spring a tree up in the middle of the car. ( And then to Cas. ) We're in a game of Uno and she's sending us skip cards. Need you to take the rest to Sam when they get here.
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Rusty's brow furrows and her eyes roll to the ceiling, before she corrects him.]
Route, Dean. Like the route you drive.
[Castiel disappears, before arriving next to Bela in the Abattoir, hand out. "I am not a delivery service." He just wants to make that clear.
Bela looks over at the angel in a trenchcoat, before nodding as Rusty places the four charms on leather cords in his hands. "We appreciate your help, Rusty adds, just to make it clear.
Castiel disappears, then reappears in the Impala again. "I'm here."]
Place the charm on the rearview mirror. It will allow you to reduce the drive time by a third.
[So instead of a ten hour drive, it's looking more like six and a half.]
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( The route-witch sends him to a route that shifts his perspective, like something out of one of his late night creepy pasta binges. But, he knows where it's taking him, so he puts the pedal to the medal. ) Get the others to Sam, tell them I'll meet them there.
( He'll thank him later. And remind him no he's not a delivery service. )
Rusty meeting us there, or is he just gonna point us in their direction.
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Bela smirks before throwing her own hat into the ring.]
We'll be there in about six hours.
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( From Bela or from Rusty. )
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[Not even the people they are theoretically going to save. That means every witch that they run into between the door and Elena are not worth trying to negotiate with.]
I would make sure you have plenty of ammunition.
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( He doesn't care if she does like either, or if she even knows him. But yeah, he's not the only one running in high circles. )
You bringing your Original boyfriend?
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So she glances over at Elijah and raises an eyebrow.]
Want to go deal with some witches?
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I think I could be of a very particular sort of help. Dean, this is Elijah. Rusty, Bela, and I will be arriving in six hours. Be ready when we are. It may take all of us to get Elena back.
( Alive.
Dean doesn't say anything right away.
"See you there," he finally says. )
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And with that Bela hangs up, and begins to make her own preparations.
Meanwhile, Castiel drops in to give one of the charms to Dean, before taking the rest to Sam at the bunker, arriving just as Sam (and Dean) receive the text from Bela with the address.
But to catch up the (likely unhappy) group:]
Elena is being held in a witch compound in Baltimore. Dean is going straight there, and Bela, Elijah and Rusty are going to meet them there. These charms -
[He holds them up.]
- are made by a routewitch and designed to help you cover more distance more quickly.
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( Allison takes this one, giving Cas an apologetic look and taking Grayson and Miranda a few feet away. She can explain this right. Even if it might be too much information. It's better to lead with everything.
"The group of witches that Sam and Dean were sent after, that brought you back, some of their numbers, the last of them, have taken Elena. Those charms will ensure we get there before the solstice where a ritual will be taking place. A ritual Elena might not survive if we don't leave right now," she says, grimacing. "Which is why we're going. Elijah is one of the oldest vampires and it's a good thing he's on our side, Rusty is the dissenting member of that group of witches. He - started this crusade."
Kind of. It is a little more complicated. )
And if he wouldn't have done anything, just left them alone.
( "Then this would still be going on, the heirs they want to body-jack would be none the wiser and Elena might still be taken, but we'd have nothing to go on." )
But we don't know that would have happened. Maybe they only took her as a contingency because of this assault on all fronts.
( "Grayson. This was our fight whether we like it or not," she says, making it clear, she doesn't. "I know what it must feel like," )
With all do respect --
( "You're right. I'm sorry. But, Elena to you, is every one of my friends every time they step outside. Every time they find someone that needs help, because they have no one else. I am the head of an organization where some of my men and my women don't always make it back," she says, plainly. )
Elena isn't in your employ.
( "No, but she's a good person. And she helps people every day. Every day in any way she can. Yes, her life was a lot more complicated right after you died, but what she is will never go away. So, she does things on her terms. Yes, she was taken, but, sir, Mrs. Gilbert. She sent me an SOS. We were able to hear the conversation. Your daughter is resourceful. And caring. And would rather go with those witches than allow a wing of the children's ward be blown up. That's the daughter you raised. You can make different decisions than your daughter. You can also wish she made different decisions. But, I know Elena, and the best thing you can do for her, is to accept her. All of her. We are getting her out of this, but we have to go." )
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[Sam is tired of this circling conversation that's been happening on and off since the Gilberts came back, and it's not his place to get involved. But Elena isn't here to speak for herself and neither is Dean so:]
They had planted one of their witches in her life, years before Dean and I came back into the picture. They were keeping her close so that when they were ready, she was readily available. So whether we were involved or not, whether she and Dean had gotten together or not, the witches would have taken her. At least we're aware of what happened, and we're able to rally the troops.
[He tamps down the if we weren't the ones involved in this, you wouldn't be here. He knows what it's like to come back from the dead, it's disorienting and difficult. But it's also worth saying.
Miranda sets her jaw, still unconvinced and unhappy with the way she perceives her daughter has been placed in danger, but there's only so much they can do there. "So what exactly is the plan? Trust this Elijah? I've heard stories of Elena working with him in the past, and he hasn't exactly been helpful. Didn't you say something about Elijah stabbing you in the back?"
Stefan, who's been hanging back quietly with Buffy in the corner, really doesn't want to draw too much attention to himself without Elena's presence, but he's the one best able to speak on this, so:
"Not saying that it didn't happen, but Elijah is fond of your daughter, and no other members of Elijah's immediate family is involved in this. In fact, the person he cares about most in this whole mess is on our side. He has no reason to turn his back on us."
"Fond? We're relying on an Original vampire's fondness for Elena?" Miranda seems suspicious.
Sam rubs his eyes.]
We really don't have time to keep debating this. We need to be moving. Even with these charms we have a long drive ahead of us.
[Stefan sighs, before looking directly at Grayson. "Look, I know that there are likely conversations you want to have with me and you have no reason to trust me, but you asked me to save your daughter once and I did, and I didn't stop after that once. Elena and I aren't involved anymore but she's one of my best friends in the world, and I want to see her alive. Will you at least trust me when I say that I will bring her back to you?]
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