everyonelives | but oh what a year

Not far from here. Down by the clocktower.

[She slides her hands into her pockets as she leads the way out to her car.]

His son was recently killed as part of all this, so I think he'll want to help. Just ... leave any mentions of the Salvatores out of this. I don't think he's feeling quite so charitable to them.

Check, we stay on topic. Watchers are good at that. Regimented.

( He follows her to her car after locking up for the day. )

[And off they go. They talk to Maxwell, who is able to provide more context about the bell, and how it could possibly be connected - and more to the point, that his ancestor may have crafted a weapon before he was sealed away by a Bennett witch.

Liv thanks him for the information, before heading back to the car.]

Okay. We need a team meeting. Get your Slayer on the phone and I'll call Tyler.

OK, I'll just get my slayer on the phone.

( Getting inside the car, he dials Lindsay's number again. )

[Her phone rings and she briefly glances at the caller ID before answering. Damon and Stefan aren't far, so they can probably hear, but she doesn't put it on speaker right away.]

Did you find anything?

Several somethings. A weapon made of Hellfire crafted from the bones of Arcadius. And a bell, that if fallen into the wrong hands, could unleash Hellfire on everyone we hold near and dear. So, it's just another Tuesday.

( Sometimes, it's nice to talk about the dire things with Lindsey. What's that about? )

Liv is calling for a team meeting. The station, I assume, with Stefan's continued refusal of sunlight protection?

Yeah, he's not going anywhere. I think he's worried that if he leaves Cade will take him back.

[And that's not what he wants, and Lindsay is inclined to respect that.]

But glad to here this may be a problem I can stab. I was starting to feel like I was spinning my wheels.

He might just. Leave him there, then. Smart moves.

( He respects that, a lot, and this probably is the first break in, oh, these two could be friends. )

Isn't that just the American justice system?

Hah. I'll let them know you're coming. We'll see you in a bit.

[The American justice system is entirely fucked though, so he's not wrong.

She hangs up and moves back to the brothers to catch them up.]

The nerd squad seems to have had a break. They're on their way over with the info to catch us up.

[More to Damon than Stefan, who has taken to being in his own head. He still hasn't put his ring on.]

If we need to leave, is he going to be okay in there?

You tell me. I'm not the psychologist and I didn't think my brother had a deathwish.

( But, frustration aside. )

If the angle of the sun holds, he'll be fine. The faster we figure this out, the faster Stefan can brood properly. In his house with a stiff drink.

Is there someone in town who doesn't hate him? Or at least likes him enough to keep him from walking into the sun of his own accord?

"I'm not going to walk into the sun," Stefan replies flatly, because yes, he can hear her. Lindsay sighs as she looks back to him.]

Forgive me if I don't take you at your word. You've been through a huge shock and you've done a lot of terrible things recently. It's a lot to process. I'd feel better if there was someone here.

Caroline Forbes wouldn't let him.

( If they're talking about it. )

And I wouldn't let him. On our good days.

[Lindsay nods.]

Can you call her, then? See if she'll be here?

[As much as she is a Slayer, she's also the sheriff and doesn't want to come back to a crispy body in her holding cells.]

( He gives another glance back at his brother, shakes his head and then heads back in the direction Lindsay had headed in, dialing the familiar number. They are on better terms considering her and Bonnie both were involved with bringing him back from catatonia. )

[Yes, they are on better terms. But Caroline is doing her best to be there for Bonnie, so there's still a small sigh when Damon's name pops up on her phone screen. She excuses herself, and makes her way into another room to answer.]

Hey, Damon. Did you find him?

In jail. Our local sheriff is keeping him locked up for his own good and now he's keeping himself locked up for his own good. But, we have an Arcadius, break. We just need a Stefansitter. Sheriff Miller is worried about the town's suicidal vampire rate and, honestly, I'm not far behind her. He's refusing to put on his daylight ring.

( Sorry, Caroline, you get that all. )

[Caroline exhales slowly, weighing her options. Abandoning Bonnie to go babysit the man who murdered her love is not going to go over well. But Stefan is also one of her best friends too, and she knows that Damon is probably right and they shouldn't leave him alone.]

Let me talk to Bonnie and I'll get back to you?

Yeah. Of course. If there's a conflict of interest, I'll find someone else.

( But, they'll see. )

Talk to you in a bit.

[Caroline hangs up and heads back to where she left Bonnie. She knows how she feels about Stefan right now so she won't lead with Stefan but she will lead with this:]

That was Damon. He might have a lead on how to deal with Cade.

( Bonnie is - well, when she isn't catatonic, or crying, she is angry, or going on a run. Or, sitting on the floor of the shower. Tonight, Caroline has gotten her to eat. She did her part in trying to find Stefan, to save others but bowed out when it didn't work.

She straightens up. )

I take it, he found Stefan.

Stefan is in jail. Literally. The sheriff found him and has him locked up in one of the cells. Sounds like his humanity is back too.

[She knows Bonnie likely doesn't care about the personal Stefan stuff, but Caroline can read between the lines of what Damon is saying.]

But the big news was that they had a lead on how to kill Arcadius. Team meeting at the sheriff's office. We don't have to go, though, if you don't want to.

[Caroline is worried about her. She's worried about Stefan too, but other people can handle Stefan if Bonnie needs her.]

( She doesn't react. Doesn't say anything yet. )

Caroline, we do. Arcadius is a problem we can solve. ( Stefan just happens to be there. ) And thanks to Stefan, and two dead sirens, I'm involved directly. I've been involved since Damon took Enzo on his world tour of blood and souls. So, we're going.

Okay.

[They can go to listen. And then they'll figure out the rest from there.]

But say the word and we can leave them to figure it out. It doesn't have to be our problem.

[If she needs more time, they can take more time.]

Caroline. It does. Because, this is all our problem. And the sooner it is nobody's problem, then I will say the world. I'm not fragile. And I'm not going to do something I regret to someone that not too long ago was a friend. But, I can't not hate 'em. That's what I can give right now.

( And the more you try to shield and help, the more she will break. And she can't break. )

I don't blame you for hating him.

[Even if Caroline doesn't, even if it's complicated.]

It looks like he's not even going to be involved in the Cade stuff either.

[She won't elaborate on why, because that's not Bonnie's problem!]

I was just checking.

[Because Enzo's dead and she knows that eventually the grief is going to become too much to hold back and Caroline wants to be there to catch her when she's ready. But until then, off to the sheriff's they will go.

When they arrive, Tyler will probably also be arriving and Liv and Beck are making their way in. It's sad, in a way, how much of their team is missing. No Matt, no Elena, no so many other people who have been there for them.

Caroline pops out of the driver's side and squints at Beck.]

You brought the librarian?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject