the gilbert house } { and everything is spinning out of control

[braveandstupid]

Everything happened so fast.

It's an odd thing to say, because for once vampires weren't the cause of it. These were humans, moving at normal human speeds, but for some reason it was Founder's Day, all over again. And now they don't know what to do, beyond calling Stefan, who through some miracle happened to be home at the time of the event, rather than in town, just like they all were.

They all were.

Elena is currently perched on the couch, trying to figure out what she's supposed to do next. She doesn't trust Buffy, Alaric is too drunk to come up with an effectual plan at the moment. Everyone's looking to her, and she isn't sure if she can do it, can take the reins and save everyone, because all of Elena's plans usually end in someone getting hurt. So she sits, and she waits, and she hopes that Stefan can be useful and mediate through this because she sure as hell isn't.

But eventually the front door opens and he appears in the room, meeting her eyes, and she exhales slowly, feeling herself relax. Right now, this isn't about them. This is about getting Damon, Caroline and Tyler back. That, if nothing else, they can agree on.

"Okay," she says, glancing to the others in the room. "Where do we start?"

Comments

[unbalancer]

Bonnie is standing, arms crossed because it's Caroline and Tyler. This all screams deja vu. She hasn't made the connection as to what happened. But, it's all very reminiscent of Founder's Day all over again.

Alaric for his part wants the distinction made. He is not too drunk. But, he is drunk. He just hasn't gone over his limit. He is bringing coffee into the living room however because coffee sobers him up. (It doesn't really, but it feels like it does.)

Matt's laying against the couch, head propped up. He's awake, now. There's a splitting headache, probably a concussion but he's in this. He was in this when Caroline was taken and when some town thug cold-cocked him.

Now that everyone's together, Bonnie thinks. Not that she's a big planner. She's used. She's magic. That's what Bonnie is.

"We get them back," Matt says. It's a no-brainer if you ask him. And maybe that's what everyone's thinking but Matt had to say it out loud.

"How?" She's not questioning. Bonnie is posing the question. "The last time this happened, we knew where they were taken." And she had been on a different side. "They were from the council, weren't they?" They'd been in plain clothes, but that much had been clear. "This was a planned attack." Another one. She looks to Stefan, can't make eye contact with Elena. "Do you think they could still have it?"

[braveandstupid]

"We never recovered it after the fire," Stefan admits. "I thought it went down with everything else, but it's possible that it didn't. They were just saving it for a rainy day."

And here it was clearly pouring. Elena can't really think about that right now. They need a plan. She takes a breath, before glancing around the room. "Do we know anything about who took them?"

"White van," Buffy replies simply. "All I got was a white van. It was heading east, but I'm not sure where it was going."

[daydrinker]

"Wait. What? What wasn't recovered?" Matt asks, behind the times. After all, at the time, he'd been Caroline's boyfriend and in a car accident with she and Tyler.

"So, they're heading out of town," Alaric says, putting East and East together.

"Why would they use it again?" Bonnie asks. She knows. Why they used it the first time. But, she's still wrestling with this happening at all.

"Use what?" Matt asks.

[braveandstupid]

"The Gilbert device," Elena supplies gently, glancing over to Matt from where she's sitting on the couch. "Jonathan Gilbert and Emily Bennett built a device in 1864 that emitted a sound that would practically paralyze any vampire in the area. They used it on Founder's Day last year, when they burned down my dad's practice."

When Tyler's dad died. When Anna died. When Damon and Stefan nearly died.

"We thought it was destroyed, but apparently not."

[healthinsurance]

"You mean, that's why Ty got into that car accident?" Well, that makes a lot more sense now.

"Yeah," Bonnie says, nodding. "Because I didn't deactivate it. When I had the chance." Not that now is the time to worry about that, because they used it, they should be making their next move. "Where would they be taking them outside of town?" She racks her brain.

"In a white van..." Matt things, moving to sit up slowly despite the pain of his headache. "There's not a lot right outside of town, right? They wouldn't take them to the Lockwood's." Because they have Tyler. "What about the Pastor's cattle ranch? Elena and I played there one summer. Is he on the council?"

[braveandstupid]

"He is," Elena says with a nod, glancing up at them. "I remember Aunt Jenna saying something about how they were trying to sell it a while back, maybe they're going to just ... burn it instead."

Which is probably where all of their friends are.

"We need to get them back before that."

[daydrinker]

"We're not going to let it burn," Alaric says, standing up, steadying himself. He's not going to be the one to say it but he won't be driving this time around.

"It makes sense," Bonnie says. "They'd have cages. They're vervained."

"They're sitting ducks," Alaric says, looking to Meredith.

Matt's still hung up on why they'd take them all again. And he's not the only one. But, their priority should be saving them and not finding out why, not until they had the luxury of time.

"If they burned the barn down," he starts, because they wouldn't burn the house itself, "They could blame any number of things."

[braveandstupid]

Elena nods. "The barn has plenty of room, the stalls for the cages - it's the place that makes the most sense." She pushes to her feet at this point, a look of determination slipping into place. "So we go to the barn and we get them out."

[unbalancer]

"Elena," Bonnie says, taking the Damon part of the conversation as she gives Stefan a look. It's Bonnie's look that says she should stay there.

"All of us?" Matt asks, looking around. There's a good eight of them there.

[braveandstupid]

"Not all of us," Buffy finally speaks up from her corner, shaking her head. "It's too many. They'll see us coming, and Matt's in no shape."

Stefan purses his lips. "Obviously, you and me." For the muscle. "Who else?"

[unbalancer]

"I'll go. It's my fault that anything is happening at all. So. I'll go." It's Bonnie who speaks next. Because she has to. This is her fault.

"That makes... four," Matt says.

[braveandstupid]

"Four," Elena nods, glancing to Buffy who nods in agreement. "Four is good. We just have to figure out where they are."

[unbalancer]

"If they're at the Pastor's ranch house, Elena's right. They'd be in the stalls." Drugged to high heaven.

"We need to confirm they are." Alaric asks. A thought occurs to him as he looks to Meredith. "You have the council's ear, don't you?"

"I can do a locator spell. I'd just need something of Caroline's, Tyler's, or Damon's." Maybe multiple things if they want it to be stronger.

[braveandstupid]

Meredith rubs the back of her head before nodding. "For the most part, yeah. They're not entirely aware of my many uses for vampire blood. I can see what I can find out." But she can't guarantee anything, unfortunately.

"I borrowed one of Caroline's shirts. Would that work?" She's been meaning to give it back - now she's almost glad she hasn't.

[unbalancer]

"It should. Can you get it?" she asks, glancing around her. "I need a map of Mystic Falls."

"I have one," Matt says attempting to get up from around Anna on the couch. Alaric puts his hand out.

"No, there's one in my bag. Anna, can you keep an eye on Matt?" he asks, sincerely. And he moves over to his bag in the hall closet, crouching down and searching through it.

[braveandstupid]

Elena nods before getting up and heading to the stairs. She takes them two at time, trying to get there quickly. Anna, on the other hand, gently places a hand on Matt's chest and pushes him back down on the couch.

Stay, Mattie. Stay.

[unbalancer]

Bonnie moves to the kitchen to get ingredients she'll need. Witch improvising 101 with Bonnie Bennett will commence once Elena returns.

Matt's hand rests against Anna's as he locks eyes with her. He wants to help, Anna. Let him help.

Alaric brushes crap off the coffee table and rolls out a map of Mystic Falls. Bonnie's used it before.

[braveandstupid]

You are helping, Matt, by not making yourself worse. Leave this to the people who aren't suffering head injuries at the moment. Elena comes down the stairs with Caroline's shirt in her hand and hands it off to Bonnie as she does.

"Hopefully they're all together."

[unbalancer]

"They wouldn't separate them," Alaric says.

Bonnie finishes mixing what she needs to before bringing the plastic bowl into the living room and kneeling in front of the coffee table.

"This should only take a second." And then she's chanting, her usual Latin she uses for locater spells, pouring the dirt-like mixture on the map.

[braveandstupid]

Elena waits anxiously off to the side, unable to really sit still. She crosses her arms in front of her chest, watching Bonnie work her magic intensely. Because she's Elena Gilbert and she doesn't really have any other setting but intensity.

[unbalancer]

As she chants, the dirt slithers along the map, stopping at the Pastor's cattle ranch outside of town.

[braveandstupid]

Elena moves closer as the dirt starts to move, trying to see where the dirt is leading before it actually gets there.

[unbalancer]

And the dirt stops, Pastor's farm, like they'd thought!

[braveandstupid]

"Guess we were right," Elena glances back towards Stefan. "The pastor's farm. We have to go get them back."