("Care to contribute to the proceedings, Stefan, unless whatever's going to come out of your mouth starts with the word 'Sacrifice' and ends with 'me.' He made second contact. Did he take you anywhere?"
Show him anything?
Stefan has the attention on him again and Bonnie ices over again, but listens. Hopefully, he has something that can help. )
[He's quiet for a long moment, because it's hard seeing past that end at the moment. But he does his best to shove down the despair, not in a way that makes him soulless again but in a way allows him to be helpful.]
There was a cave.
[He pauses as he tries to pin down where he's seen it before.]
It's familiar but ... I think I heard running water?
( It's the first time she's addressed him directly. She then addresses the rest of the group. )
For those of you who are new, kids go to the Falls to party. They have bonfires by the base, or swing into the watering hole. But, you can hike up them. And there's a system of caves back there. One entrance. Caroline, Elena, and I did the hike when we were teens.
( Just to see if they could, and because Tyler and Matt...
"Because Matt and me said you couldn't make it up there?")
Yes, actually. And we did. We also did it responsibly. Packed water bottles, made it to the top, and had a picnic.
[Caroline's smile is sad, because she isn't lying. That was a good day. But it reminds her of all the things that are missing. She misses Elena, misses Matt, misses the pieces of their world that are gaping.
She knows she'll at least see Elena again, one day, long from now, but the three of them will never be together again like they were that day and that hurts.
Focus, Forbes. Elena and Matt may be missing but she refuses to let Stefan or Bonnie join them.]
So is that where this all is going to go down? Lure him to the falls and go from there?
I don't know about luring him. But if there's any way to tap into his energy, it'll be there. I could... see if I can channel him. Bring him there, try to... bargain --
( For Stefan's life? For Enzo? She looks away from them, keeping it together.
"And for those of us who thought Nightmare on Elm Street was schlocky, how do we get him off his wavelength and into ours?" Damon asks, taking up the plan reins. It's cool, Bon. Take a minute. )
[Liv's been quiet as they mull over their options, trying to connect the dots of all of these desperate pieces. Eventually, she looks up at Damon and goes with her best guess.]
The sirens told Ethan Maxwell that Cade had to be physically in this world in order to be killed. They also said he had to ring the bell in order to get Cade in a place to kill him. I think ... it has to be the bell. The bell and knife used simultaneously.
[She glances over at Beck, looking to see if that tracks for him as well.]
I'm also willing to bet Cade is still invested in both of your souls, even if he's playing the long game right now.
("That tuning fork doubled the sirens over and gave them a headache worthy of a nose bleed. The sirens were enslaved by Cade. What's good for the goose is always good for the gander." Damon says, also turning to Beck.
"You think the bell could have the same affect on Cade," Beck posits. )
It makes sense. If Damon went to go and bargain for what's left of Stefan's soul, that would distract him long enough. If our theory is correct and someone rings the bell at the same time, it could give us the opportunity we need.
I've been poking at a spell that could hide someone's mind, psychically speaking. Maybe we can try and use it on you, Lindsay, so that he doesn't pick up on your presence until it's too late.
[It hasn't been tested against Cade just yet, but there's a chance it could give them a little bit of an edge.
"Works for me. I'll take whatever edge I can get."]
("He can try," Damon says, but, doesn't object. "Ric, call Maxwell, bring a truck." And Damon ends that call. And then Lindsay asks a very pertinent question. Damon looks at everyone when Liv's phone lights up again. )
[And with that she will hang up and take a deep breath, before looking at Lindsay.]
Do you have somewhere I can set up for the spellwork?
[Lindsay nods. "Probably better to do it upstairs. I don't know what kind of wards whoever built this place put in here." There's a chance it's not designed just to hold vampires. That being said, she looks over at Caroline, who is the one who doesn't have a job. "Someone has to stay here with him. Do you mind?"
Caroline shakes her head. "As long as I'm not needed somewhere else, I can stay."
"Thank you." Lindsay then takes a breath before looking over at Beck. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
("I'm going with Liv," Bonnie says. "Damon, you meet Alaric out front."
Beck susses out all the small town drama and coming from a family of many siblings, kind of loves all it beyond the almost-apocalypse their trying to stop.
He lets his charge move them away from the sad vampire, his vampire friend, the snarky vampire and the two witches who take no shit. Tyler lingers closer to Caroline, in case Stefan does... anything. )
[She pauses, just to make sure they're far enough away to muffle at least some of the conversation and her face shifts, just slightly. It's one thing to have the bravado out there, where she's trying to convince people she can help, but she also knows how this works.
She knows that this is the kind of thing where Slayers could die. And Beck hasn't been her Watcher for that long. They're still finding their rhythm and they haven't really had the chance to.
Would be a shame if this is all they'll get, because there's something about him that tugs at her in a way she can't quite pin down, but right now, she needs to focus.]
It's a solid enough plan but there's always a chance it'll go bad so if it does there's some stuff you need to know.
I'm a Slayer. I'm always worried it's going to go sideways.
[When you're joining a storied tradition of women fighting the forces of darkness until they die so the next one can be called, you can't help but be aware of the fact that one day you're not going to win. Lindsay is pragmatic by default so while she will reach for the win no matter what, she knows eventually luck isn't going to be on her side.]
Buffy has all of the contact info for my family, but she is also my medical proxy. I got that all legally done a long time ago. If they show up and try to wrangle medical care away from her, tell them to shove it. I do have both a final will and a living will on file. All of the info for that is in the locked top drawer of the desk in my apartment. The key is in a little chest on top of the desk.
[Looks like a random pirate decoration, actually has treasure in it.
She feels bad, dumping all of this on him all at once.]
I know this is a lot, and I'm sorry. If we had more time to settle I probably would have done this ahead of time, but ... things don't always work out that way, I guess.
[Really. She intends to leave this still kicking. But being prepared usually means you won't have to need it. But instead of leaving on that note, she lingers briefly.]
For what it's worth? It hasn't been so bad, having you as a Watcher. If this all works out, maybe we could keep that going.
( He doesn't move away from her, gaze lingering. It threatens to lower, but he maintains his professionalism with something he does have to thank her for. )
Wasn't looking to make a personnel change. Heard I got a pretty generous eval.
[She catches that glance, and her smile stretches. No, not right now. But maybe they could definitely explore that later.]
Stay safe. See you when I'm back.
[And with that she will head up stairs to test Liv's spell. She steps into the room, starting to shed the heavier parts of her uniform so that she can move easy and light.]
Alright. Let's do this.
[Liv gestures for her to sit on the chair in front of her. "Sit. Bonnie, can you sense her right now?" Just to make sure they have a baseline.]
( Everyone back in the same place again, Bonnie approaches Lindsey, closing her eyes. Her (18) has her indeed sensing her presence completely. There is something with it, love, loss, and the stench of death that follows every slayer. And a nice coating of ash on the end. )
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Show him anything?
Stefan has the attention on him again and Bonnie ices over again, but listens. Hopefully, he has something that can help. )
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There was a cave.
[He pauses as he tries to pin down where he's seen it before.]
It's familiar but ... I think I heard running water?
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( It's the first time she's addressed him directly. She then addresses the rest of the group. )
For those of you who are new, kids go to the Falls to party. They have bonfires by the base, or swing into the watering hole. But, you can hike up them. And there's a system of caves back there. One entrance. Caroline, Elena, and I did the hike when we were teens.
( Just to see if they could, and because Tyler and Matt...
"Because Matt and me said you couldn't make it up there?" )
Yes, actually. And we did. We also did it responsibly. Packed water bottles, made it to the top, and had a picnic.
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[Caroline's smile is sad, because she isn't lying. That was a good day. But it reminds her of all the things that are missing. She misses Elena, misses Matt, misses the pieces of their world that are gaping.
She knows she'll at least see Elena again, one day, long from now, but the three of them will never be together again like they were that day and that hurts.
Focus, Forbes. Elena and Matt may be missing but she refuses to let Stefan or Bonnie join them.]
So is that where this all is going to go down? Lure him to the falls and go from there?
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( For Stefan's life? For Enzo? She looks away from them, keeping it together.
"And for those of us who thought Nightmare on Elm Street was schlocky, how do we get him off his wavelength and into ours?" Damon asks, taking up the plan reins. It's cool, Bon. Take a minute. )
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The sirens told Ethan Maxwell that Cade had to be physically in this world in order to be killed. They also said he had to ring the bell in order to get Cade in a place to kill him. I think ... it has to be the bell. The bell and knife used simultaneously.
[She glances over at Beck, looking to see if that tracks for him as well.]
I'm also willing to bet Cade is still invested in both of your souls, even if he's playing the long game right now.
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"You think the bell could have the same affect on Cade," Beck posits. )
It makes sense. If Damon went to go and bargain for what's left of Stefan's soul, that would distract him long enough. If our theory is correct and someone rings the bell at the same time, it could give us the opportunity we need.
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[It hasn't been tested against Cade just yet, but there's a chance it could give them a little bit of an edge.
"Works for me. I'll take whatever edge I can get."]
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( And this finally sounds like a formulating plan. )
Alaric, could you install the bell?
( "Yeah, I'll get right on that. Me and my army of - missing or dead interns," he says. Sorry, he's snippy.
"I can help Grumpycat with the bell, or we can bring back Peter Maxwell. Sounds like prime time for a special guest star."
He'd say Matt would be proud but... )
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[Liv doesn't think that Maxwell would want to do anything to help Damon directly, but he will do this for the greater good.]
Let's get the bell installed while Bonnie, Lindsay and I test this spell.
[Lindsay nods. "Is he going to come here first to drop off the blade, or are we meeting him somewhere?"]
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For god's sake, answer it.
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[Liv rolls her eyes before answering, not looking at the caller ID.]
Ric?
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( That he is still in possession of? )
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[It's kind of on the way right. Or at least on the way to Maxwell's.]
Or on your way to meet Maxwell. Whichever is more convenient.
[A beat.]
Also maybe don't mention it to my sister that we're gonna try and kill the Devil today?
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( He wraps it back up in a cloth and sticks it into his shoulder bag. )
You want me to hide from my wife that -- ( not the time. ) She's with the girls, anyway. Coming right to you.
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[And with that she will hang up and take a deep breath, before looking at Lindsay.]
Do you have somewhere I can set up for the spellwork?
[Lindsay nods. "Probably better to do it upstairs. I don't know what kind of wards whoever built this place put in here." There's a chance it's not designed just to hold vampires. That being said, she looks over at Caroline, who is the one who doesn't have a job. "Someone has to stay here with him. Do you mind?"
Caroline shakes her head. "As long as I'm not needed somewhere else, I can stay."
"Thank you." Lindsay then takes a breath before looking over at Beck. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
Privately. Away from the ears of everyone else.]
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Beck susses out all the small town drama and coming from a family of many siblings, kind of loves all it beyond the almost-apocalypse their trying to stop.
He lets his charge move them away from the sad vampire, his vampire friend, the snarky vampire and the two witches who take no shit. Tyler lingers closer to Caroline, in case Stefan does... anything. )
What is it?
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She knows that this is the kind of thing where Slayers could die. And Beck hasn't been her Watcher for that long. They're still finding their rhythm and they haven't really had the chance to.
Would be a shame if this is all they'll get, because there's something about him that tugs at her in a way she can't quite pin down, but right now, she needs to focus.]
It's a solid enough plan but there's always a chance it'll go bad so if it does there's some stuff you need to know.
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( He slips, using an informal version of her name, but puts on his watcher hat, frowning. )
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[When you're joining a storied tradition of women fighting the forces of darkness until they die so the next one can be called, you can't help but be aware of the fact that one day you're not going to win. Lindsay is pragmatic by default so while she will reach for the win no matter what, she knows eventually luck isn't going to be on her side.]
Buffy has all of the contact info for my family, but she is also my medical proxy. I got that all legally done a long time ago. If they show up and try to wrangle medical care away from her, tell them to shove it. I do have both a final will and a living will on file. All of the info for that is in the locked top drawer of the desk in my apartment. The key is in a little chest on top of the desk.
[Looks like a random pirate decoration, actually has treasure in it.
She feels bad, dumping all of this on him all at once.]
I know this is a lot, and I'm sorry. If we had more time to settle I probably would have done this ahead of time, but ... things don't always work out that way, I guess.
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(She rattles off all of her final documents, her will, her needs. He's not ready for any of it. He was never trained in what's left behind.
But, they have a job to do for the moment. )
There's a key in the chest.
( And Buffy is medical proxy. He just accepts. )
Do me a favor. Don't make me use the emergency key.
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[Really. She intends to leave this still kicking. But being prepared usually means you won't have to need it. But instead of leaving on that note, she lingers briefly.]
For what it's worth? It hasn't been so bad, having you as a Watcher. If this all works out, maybe we could keep that going.
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Wasn't looking to make a personnel change. Heard I got a pretty generous eval.
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Stay safe. See you when I'm back.
[And with that she will head up stairs to test Liv's spell. She steps into the room, starting to shed the heavier parts of her uniform so that she can move easy and light.]
Alright. Let's do this.
[Liv gestures for her to sit on the chair in front of her. "Sit. Bonnie, can you sense her right now?" Just to make sure they have a baseline.]
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I can.
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