You are my Freedom

For Jeremy

3rd Person POV:

Stefan knew being vulnerable in front of anyone was not easy for Damon especially when that someone was him and he appreciated that his brother had come through for him today.

He put his ring back on as the sun started to rise. He wasn't sure if it was for Elena or his brother or even himself but knowing Damon had faced similar battles within himself and that Clara and Elena both tried so hard to reach him it made him feel like there was something in him worth fighting for and not giving up on.

It would be hard but Stefan wanted to keep fighting he wanted to see more of who his brother was now with Clara by his side and he wanted a chance to have something similar with Elena. He still felt terrible about the girl he hurt and all his victims before but giving up wouldn't change anything, Clara had been right about that... he wasn't sure he was ready to fight crime just yet but maybe someday he could go to the lengths Clara had suggested and truly atone for his atrocities.

He prayed there was still hope for his soul... if there was hope for Damon, surely there could still be hope for himself.

Elsewhere:

Alaric had decided to stop in the grill for a nightcap. He sits at the bar, drinking alone. A woman approaches him.

"Hello, Ric."

Alaric recognizing the voice slowly turns around and comes face to face with his wife.

"Isobel."

"It's good to see you. You look good. I hear that you're a high school history teacher? How is that?" Isobel says as if she had only been absent for a couple of weeks and not faked her death and became a vampire.

"Where have you been, Isobel?"

"I don't have any reasons that are gonna comfort you. I don't have any explanations that are gonna satisfy you. I wanted this."

"It's that simple?"

"Yeah. You were supposed to mourn me, and move on." She tells him as if it's his fault

"You were my wife, and I loved you. How could I not search for you?"

"Because I wasn't lost, Rick." She takes a paper and writes something. "I understand that you know my daughter, Elena, and I hear that she's been looking for me. So..." She gives the paper to Alaric. "I want you to arrange for a meeting with us." Alaric looks at the paper.

"You want me to deliver a message?"

"Yeah."

"Screw you. You selfish bitch."

Alaric throws the paper on the ground and storms out of the bar.

In the parking lot, Alaric is going to his car. Isobel arrives behind him. Training as a vampire hunter Ric can sense there is someone behind him.

"What do you want from me?" He asks her, refusing to show any fear.

"I told you."

Alaric shakes his head, "I'm not gonna do anything for you."

Having enough of his attitude Isobel strangles him and pushes him against his car.

"You better tell Elena that I want to meet or I'm gonna start killing the citizens of this town one by one and I'm gonna start with your history students. Got it?" Satisfied by finally seeing the scared look in his eyes She throws him on the floor and gives him the paper.

The next day Alaric arranges for everyone to meet so he can fill them in on what happened.

Damon enters Alaric's classroom pissed he had to leave Clara for whatever this little powwow is about. He really needs to find a way to get her a daylight ring made.

"Damon, thanks for coming," Alaric says in greeting,

"It was hard to tear myself away but Clara insisted. What's with all the furrowed brows?"

"I saw Isobel last night."

"Isobel is here? In town?" Damon turns to Elena and looks at her. She seems freaked. He turns back to Alaric.

"Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?"

"No."

"No they're not?" Damon tries to clarify finding Alaric's answer a little vague.

"No, I didn't ask."

"What about the invention?"

"Didn't ask."

Damon is starting to get fed up by how little Alaric knows.

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know." Alaric admits,

"Did words completely escape you?" Damon demands finally snapping.

"No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions."

Damon turns to Elena. Rolling his eyes over Alaric.

"What did she want?"

Elena takes in a deep breath, "She wants to see me, Damon."

Damon looks over at Stefan.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants." Stefan says expanding on what Elena said.

"She's threatened to go on a killing spree if the meeting doesn't happen," Alaric adds,

"Oh! I take it that's not okay with you guys."

"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it." Elena looks to Stefan for support and he gives her a reassuring nod.

Later that day Elena is at the grill waiting for Isobel to show. Stefan is standing at the pool table. He watches after Elena.

"Can you hear me? Thanks for coming, I'm nervous."

Stefan smiles at her. Happy he could show up for her today and didn't end it all yesterday.

"I'm happy that you're here. I love you."

Stefan mouths I love you back. The nice moment is interrupted by Isobel who sits down with Elena blocking her view of Stefan.

"Hello, Elena. You look just like her, that's eerie." This shocks Stefan and Elena.

"You've met Katherine?" Elena asks,

"She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you."

Elena looks at Isobel's necklace recognizing the lapis lazuli.

"Is that how you can walk in the day?"

Isobel plays with it "Katherine helped me obtain it."

"Who's my father?" It was a question Elena was dying to ask and it just popped out.

Isobel just waves it off though, "Not important. He was a teenage waste of space."

"A name would be nice."

"It would, wouldn't it? You ask a lot of questions."

Elena is growing frustrated clearly Isobel did not ask her here to learn about her daughter, she seems to be a bigger fan of Katherine.

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself? Right after he told me to stop looking for you."

Isobel shrugs, "Dramatic impact. I wish it would have been more effective." Trust me, Elena thinks, so do I.

"Human life means that little to you?"

"Means nothing to me. It's just part of being what I am."

Elena shakes her head refusing to believe that, "No it's not. I know other vampires, that's not true."

"Your new boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore... Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or are you enjoying them both like Katherine did?" Elena is shocked by the question. Stefan looks uncomfortable.

Outside Damon and Alaric are waiting across the street. Both growing anxious.

"We should be in there," Damon says hating being sidelined,

"No, Isobel made it clear we're not to step a foot inside."

Damon tilts his head, "I'm not going to kill her in a crowded restaurant."

"You're not going to kill her period!"

"She ruined your life and you still want to protect her?"

Alaric sighs, "She's my wife...Was my wife. I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, she's cold and detached."

"Yeah, she's given up her humanity," Damon explains,

"Yeah, see, I don't get that. Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. And you're a d**k and you kill people but I still see something human in you especially around Clara, who I haven't really met but have heard she's very sweet and caring. But with Isobel, there was...nothing."

"You can turn it off, like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of How I Met Your Mother, so he shuts his feelings out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel because everything you do feel is magnified times 50 like you are a woman perpetually on her period. Isobel chose the easier road - no guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't." Alaric counters,

"I have a reason not to now."

Back Inside, Elena and Isobel are continuing to talk.

"Why did you want to meet me? Can't be to just catch up."

"Because I'm curious about you. But the real reason is...I want what your uncle wants, Jonathan Gilbert's invention."

"How do you know my uncle?" Elena asks,

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger. John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one that told me about vampires."

"So what made you want to be one?"

"It's a very long list of reasons, Elena. All of which I'm sure you've thought about."

Elena looks down as she remembers what Clara talked to her about last night but she's not sure if forever is what she wants even if it would be with Stefan and that makes her feel guilty.

"I'm sorry but I don't have what you're looking for." Elena says changing the subject.

She gets up to leave but Isobel catches her arm and forces her to sit down.

"Sit down (Stefan is going towards them) and tell your boyfriend to walk away. I want the invention."

"I don't have it." Elena says more forcibly now,

"I know that but Damon does and you're going get it for me."

"He's not going to give it to me."

Isobel smiles, "you underestimate how much he cares for you... he's in love with you." Isobel says smirking thinking she has gotten under her daughter's skin but Elena just bursts out laughing causing Isobel to be confused and embarrassed and very irritated.

"Why are you laughing!" Isobel demands to know,

"Because at most Damon tolerates me for Stefan's sake, he is head over heels in love with his wife." Elena sees Isobel seems stunned by this information,

"What did Katherine tell you otherwise? Is she really so sensitive about never seducing Damon away from Clara without compulsion that she has deluded herself into thinking he is still hung up on her?" Isobel slams her hands down on the table tired of being laughed at.

"Get the invention or the blood will be on your hands," Isobel says ominously and then gets up and leaves.

Elena can't help it when her laughter turns to tears, she starts crying ashamed that woman is her mother even only by birth. Stefan is going toward her when Bonnie arrives impeding his path to Elena, who gets up and looks right at Bonnie, things have still been tense with them since her grams died.

Later in Alaric's classroom, the gang is shaken after Isobel showed up while they were decorating floats kidnapped Jeremy and broke Matts arm all for this stupid device no one even knows does.

"Where is the device?"

Stefan sighs, "Damon has it. He's going to be difficult to reason with."

"We'll go to him, I'll talk to him. We'll get Clara on our side if that's what it takes." Elena says desperate to save her brother,

"He's not just gonna hand it over, especially if it's harmful to vampires i.e. Clara." That gives Elena an idea and she looks over at Bonnie.

"What if it's not?"

Later at the Boarding House

"Absolutely not!" Damon says, refusing to hear any more on the issue,

"Damon, just hear them out." Clara says trying to persuade him,

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel so she can give it to John who is no doubt going to use it to kill me and possibly Clara!" He says turning to address the group,

Elena steps forward, "But it'll be useless, Bonnie can take its power away."

Damon looks to Clara but she also looks unsure having never met Bonnie before and clearly picking up on her hostility towards Damon.

"I don't trust her." Damon saying pointing to Bonnie

"I can remove the original spell." Bonnie replies confidently.

"John and Isobel will never know," Elena says trying to reassure him but Clara can see Damon is still uncomfortable with the idea.

"What if we get Jeremy back ourselves," Clara suggests trying to help.

Stefan shakes his head no, "Its too risky, Isobel is a vampire and Jeremy could be dead the second we walk in the door."

Damon turns to Bonnie, "Are you even up for this? I mean no offense, you're no Emily Bennett. Emily knew what she was doing."

"I've been practicing."

"It's not piano lessons, honey."

"What's your favorite book?" Bonnie asks,

"What?"

"Name a book, any book."

"Name a book...How about Call of the Wild, Jack London"

A book suddenly flies and lands in Damon's hands. Damon looks at the book and sure enough, it's Call of the Wild

"Cute parlor trick but I'm still not convinced."

"Well, what would convince you?" Elena asks losing her patience,

Just then Damon has an idea.

"Make Clara a daylight ring," Damon says to Bonnie.

"What?"

"You want something from me, I'm gonna need something from you."

Bonnie replies hating the idea, "No, no way I'm not gonna help a vampire I don't even know walk in the sun and endanger a bunch of people."

Damon shrugs, "oh well sucks to be Jeremy."

"Bonnie please," Elena begs,

"I would need a ring," Bonnie says relenting under Elena's pleading eyes.

"Well lucky for you I happen to have one I've been saving just for this occasion."

"You do?" Clara asks touched,

"of course, I told you I would make sure you got to be in the sun again." Clara smiles lovingly at her husband.

"You did, I love you." She says walking over and kissing Damon.

"I love you too." Damon pulls away from the kiss to say.

"Yeah that's great and all but we are kinda working under a time crunch here," Stefan replies trying to move things along,

Damon rolls his eyes and zooms out of the room and quickly comes back with the ring for Bonnie to enchant.

After it's done Bonnie rips open the drapes letting the sun in frightening Clara causing Damon to get angry. But a deal is a deal and he reluctantly hands over the device.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief now the only thing left was to make the exchange.