— — — — — —
"You don't understand Damon. Haven't you learned anything from what happened with Sarah last time? He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants." Stefan shot back, though even he didn't sound like he fully believed his own denial.
"Fine, the ring keeps you safe from sunlight. What about the necklace?" Jack pointed to the chain in Stefan's hand.
"It used to belong to Katherine. Some kind of magical trinket, I guess. I honestly don't know why Damon wants it."
"If it's Katherine's, then it must matter to him. Take the ring and use it as leverage to make sure he doesn't hurt Elena. The necklace stays with me. If Damon wants it, he can come deal with me himself." Jack held out his hand.
"…Alright." Stefan hesitated, then handed the necklace over.
"I'll show it to Bonnie later. She's a witch—maybe she'll know what it's for." Jack tucked it away.
"Wait, a witch?" Elena blinked in confusion.
"Yeah. She only awakened her powers recently, still learning the ropes. She's been spending time with her grandma to get a handle on it," Jack explained.
"I only found out when her powers went haywire at the car wash," Caroline added from the side.
"Okay. Stefan, let's go check on Sarah." Jack gestured toward the door.
"Yeah. If she's really turning, I'll need your help anyway." Stefan agreed.
They all piled into Elena's car and headed to Stefan's place.
"Sarah's upstairs?" Jack asked as he stepped inside, not seeing her anywhere.
"Probably. I'll check." Stefan dashed up the stairs. Moments later, he sped back down, his face grim.
"She's gone."
"When did she wake up?" Jack pressed.
"This morning, before I came back. I didn't tell her about the transition. I just told her I'd bring you by later."
"Caroline, does Sarah have any friends or family left in Mystic Falls?" Jack turned to her.
"I'm not sure. I hadn't seen her in years before this. Her whole family moved away ages ago," Caroline admitted.
"Then we split up and look. If she doesn't realize she needs human blood to finish the change, it might already be too late."
Stefan gave a sharp nod. "Right."
"I'll check toward my place. Caroline, you and Elena stay here. I'll be back before dark." With that, Jack activated his rabbit talisman and blurred out the door.
He checked his house first—nothing. Then he combed through street after street, searching every alley and road. Even with the talisman, the search drained time. By the time he'd scoured most of town, the sun was sinking, and Sarah was still nowhere to be found. With no choice, he headed back to Stefan's to regroup and called to check on him.
"Stefan back yet?" he asked Caroline when he returned.
"Not yet. She didn't go home?"
"No. I'll call him."
The line clicked. "Stefan, any luck? I didn't find her. I'm back with Elena and Caroline, so don't worry about them," Jack reported, knowing Stefan had gone toward the woods, where the search would be tougher.
"I'm near the cemetery. I heard crying—might be her. I'm checking it out," Stefan replied.
"Keep the line open. If it's Sarah, let us talk to her too. Maybe we can calm her down," Jack said, putting the phone on speaker.
"Alright."
Stefan followed the sound until he found Sarah curled against a gravestone. "Hey, Sarah," he said gently.
"I… I'm remembering things. Him. What he said. And what you and Jack talked about, at your house, at the party. I remember everything now." She lifted her tear-streaked face.
"I'm sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you," Stefan said, guilt heavy in his voice.
"He said I need to drink blood. If I don't… what happens?" she whispered.
"You'll weaken fast. And then it'll be over."
"…I'll die, won't I?" Her voice broke.
Stefan hesitated, then gave the smallest nod. Sarah's tears spilled over.
"Sarah!" Caroline called through the phone, desperate to reach her.
"You'll be okay. I'll help you. And Caroline, Elena, Jack—they all will too. They're waiting for you to come back. They're worried sick about you," Stefan said, handing her the phone.
"…Can you take me back?" Sarah asked quietly.
"Of course." Stefan stood and reached for her.
The moment their hands touched, a gunshot cracked through the air. Stefan staggered and dropped to the ground with a grunt of pain.
"Stefan?" Elena's panicked voice cried through the phone.
"Jack, help him!" she begged.
"Calm down, Elena. Ask what happened. Even if I run full speed, I might not make it in time. Besides, you're safer here with Caroline. Stefan can handle this," Jack said firmly. A normal bullet couldn't keep a vampire down for long—he knew that from beating Damon more than once.
But before he could ask more, Sarah's piercing scream ripped through the phone, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground.
...
"It's a wooden bullet. So… they already know."
"But don't worry, Stefan. If anyone's going to kill you, it'll be me. Now hand over the ring and the necklace," Damon's voice drawled through the speaker.
"No, Sarah, don't!" Stefan shouted as he saw her fall to the corpse beside her, drinking. His heart sank. The last thing he wanted was for her to finish the transition like this.
"I'm sorry," Sarah whispered, then bolted into the night.
"Forget her—where's my necklace? All you've got is the ring," Damon cut in coldly.
"Jack has it. Talk to him." Stefan shoved the phone at him.
"Jack," Damon's voice snapped through. "Hand over the necklace."
"Stefan, go after Sarah. Bring her back fast," Jack said, ignoring Damon's demand.
.
.
.