"So Alaric is trying to pull himself together. Why is that a bad thing?" Caroline asks as we set up for another decade dance.

"Just I wish there was something I could do. Where do you want me to hang this thing?" Elena asks.

"You know what? If Rebekah wanted to hang this monstrosity, she should have shown up to do it herself. Just no." Caroline hands off the ugly looking chandelier to someone in my grade.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asks Jeremy and Matt. "You can't just hang them. They're supposed to trickle down." Caroline shouts and me and Elena chuckle.

"Look at them all bromancey." Caroline smiles.

"Yeah, I asked Matt to help Jeremy readjust. He got him his old job back at the grill. He's really stressed out though with Alaric." Elena explains.

"I could think of another reason Jeremy could be stressed out." I say looking at Caroline.

"Yeah, it could be the fact that you and Damon got hot and heavy in a skeevy motel." Caroline says.

"I didn't tell you that so you could torture me with it." Elena says annoyed.

"Ah, what are friends and cousins for?" Caroline says which makes Elena smile. "So who you bringing to the dance?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asks. "I thought you, Bonnie, Ash and I were going as girl dates."

"Bonnie has a date. Jamie called and wanted to see her, so she asked him. So here's a thought. Why don't you ask Stefan?" Caroline asks, being bias.

"I— I can't ask him on a date. I just made out with his brother."

"All the more reason. Like, you're supposed to be figuring out what you want. That's what Stefan wanted you to do, right? It's Stefan's turn." Caroline explains.

"Yeah, and you're not biased or anything."

"Look, coming from someone who is not biased about the brothers, ask Stefan out cause Caroline is right. And that's a lot coming from me since I'm not a fan of Stefan right now." I mention and Elena nods.

"Who are you going with?" Caroline asks.

"Nobody" I say.

"I know we all hate him but why not Klaus?" Caroline asks. "I mean he saw you naked."

"Ok. First off, I didn't tell you that so you could mention it 24/7. Second off, I was naked in the woods from turning into a 4 legged animal, not by choice." I explain.

"And it's too complicated to just go out to a school dance. Before that we argued which makes it awkward. And I thought you guys would hate that it's complicated with him."

"Well, I'm not one to judge. I made out with Damon." Elena says in which we all laugh.

—

We were at the school for the dance, I was wearing a rose gold 1920's dress with my hair curled up. And with the long white arm gloves.

Elena and Stefan were dancing, even Tyler and Caroline were there.

"You seem lonely." A guys in a British accent comes up to me. "You know you would absolutely love this decade."

"Or I would fit in, not love, people always wore dresses and I hate dresses." I point out.

"Unless you want to show off." Klaus says, and I knew he was talking about the ball.

"We should talk about the argument—" Klaus interrupts me.

"Okay, but you have to dance with me. It's rude not to." Klaus gives me his sad puppy dog eyes, and i forcely walk out to the dance floor.

"I'm sorry for lashing out." I say and Klaus furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why are you apologizing? I'm in the wrong, you had every reason to lash out. I know what i did is wrong, but I will work to gain your trust and loyalty."

"Ok. Fine. But you have to earn my forgiveness cause right now I don't forgive you for what you did." I say and he laughs.

"Stubborn, the usual—"

"Ash." Elena interrupts. She grabs my hand and pulls me away into a hall way. Damon tells us about Alaric.

"If Alaric's sick, then we need to find a cure, something." Elena says.

"We tried medicine. We tried magic." Damon replies.

"Why don't we get him of vervain, compel him?" Stefan suggests.

"To do what, pretend to be Alaric?" Damon asks. "The guy that we know is gone. We're talking about someone who not only hates vampires, but vampire sympathizers, which makes one of his most obvious targets— I don't know— you and Ash."

"What? You think he'll go after Ash and Elena?" Stefan asks.

"So what are you suggesting we do?" I ask, finally speaking up.

"I'm suggesting that we put him out of his misery." Damon says which makes me look at him with crazy eyes.

"No way in hell." Jeremy comes walking towards us.

"Oh, come on. It's what he would want. It's a mercy killing." Damon says.

"You are out of your mind." Jeremy says and walks off, pissed.

"We aren't giving up on him. It's Alaric." I say and Elena walks after Jeremy.

—

Esther took Elena, so Bonnie was doing a spell to find them.

"She does this all the time, right?" Jamie asks.

"What's taking so long? All boundary spells have a loophole." Klaus says which makes me glare at him, obviously not helping.

"People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier." Matt walks in.

"Well, if Matt and I can leave, we could stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is." Jeremy explains.

"Suicide, Jeremy." Stefan says.

"Ok, then Ashley can go with them, then it won't be suicide." Klaus suggests.

"If you forgot, I'm stuck in here too." I cross my arms.

"Oh, yeah, right, you're a werewolf. How could I forget? I did see you n—"

"Okay. Let Bonnie do her spells without threatening anyone so we can find them." I say before he could finish his sentence. Damon and Stefan furrow their eyebrows realizing I didn't want him to finish that sentence since I only told Elena and Caroline.

They all eventually leave besides me.

"Do you need more power, cause apparently people were after me so I wouldn't become powerful." I say.

"I could try to channel you, but it might tire you out. You just have to give me your hand." Bonnie tells me and thats what I do. "Wow, you're definitely powerful."

"Is it helping, cause I feel like I'm draining out." I mention and Bonnie let's go.

"I got a near location, but I don't precisely know." Bonnie says which makes Damon and Klaus walk closer.

"Esther's fighting me, like some kind of hotspot." Bonnie says which makes Klaus look up.

"Get the humans ready. I know where she is." Klaus says walking away.

—

🎵

The boundary spell is finally broken and we went to the cemetery, where Alaric, Elena, and Jeremy are.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Listen, Jeremy, Ashley... I'm not gonna complete the transition. My dark side was dangerous enough as a human. I can't be a vampire."

"So. What, we're just gonna lick you in here and let you die?" jeremy asks and they both stay silent.

"Listen, Jeremy, it's the right thing to do, ok?" Alaric says.

"Jer, he's right. As much as this sucks, if he turns he'll want to kill everyone involved with vampires, and he will be unstoppable. I hate this." A tear comes down my eye.

"Please, guys, let's not make this any harder than it already is. You three should go." Alaric tells us. "Damon's here. He'll make sure it'll all go down the right way."

Jeremy starts to walk away and Alaric stops him. They say there goodbyes and then him and Elena, which leaves me.

"Don't tell them, but even though we weren't the closest you were my favorite." Alaric says, which makes me laugh.

"I don't want to lose another person." I admit hugging Alaric.

"You have your cousins. Look out for them too, cause they will definitely be looking out for you."

"And I know about you and Klaus. And I just wanted you to know, that whatever happens between you guys I just want you to be happy, cause I know you're holding back because of your mom." Alaric says. "And if he hurts you, I'll make sure to haunt him until he dies." Alaric says which makes me laugh.

We walk out and see everyone. Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, Jeremy, Tyler, Matt, even Meredith.

—

🎵

I get home while Stefan and Elena stay at the school. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I hear a knock on my door and it's Klaus.

"How'd you get in?" I ask.

"Elena. She said that you might need me. I heard about Alaric." Klaus tells me, which I thought that Elena would never invite him in.

"Just, don't. Even though I wasn't close to him, he still was a dad figure to me, which I realized during the past year."

"Are you okay?" Klaus asks me.

"Do I look okay?" I ask him, pointing out the obvious. "I should just get some rest, if I engage I might get mad. And if I get mad it won't end well because I'm not okay." I admit, which never happens.

Klaus walks over as my eyes get watery. I lean towards him and cry on his shoulder. Klaus puts his hand around Ashley's waist as she let it all out.