Friends with Death

death is the wish for some, the relief for many, and the end for all

Slater looked the between the two, unsure of what to think. "And you sure Elijah's dead?"

Damon nodded with a smile. "Beyond dead."

Slater sighed. "Trevor was a good man; he helped me with my dissertation on sexual deviance in the Baroque period. I was schooling for my Psych PhD." He crossed his arms over his chest, remembering fond memories of Trevor.

"Slater's been in college since '74." Rose informed Damon so the context made sense.

He smiled. "When I was turned. I have 18 degrees, 3 master's and 4 PhDs." He was quite proud at what he achieved.

Damon wasn't so sure. "The point?"

Slater shrugged. "Exactly, I mean, what is the point? What should I be doing with my eternity? If you have an answer, please enlighten me." He shook his head as he chuckled.

"We need your help. If someone wanted to get in touch with Klaus, how would you look him up?" Rose cut to the chase, they were here for a reason and she had a feeling that Damon wasn't fond of chit chat.

He put it simply. "Craigslist."

Damon stared at him blankly. Was he serious? He thought with distaste. "Really?" He wasn't impressed.

"Seriously. I respond to a personal ad to get sent to somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah, who's dead and that's where my connection ends." Slater told him and they were at a dead end once again.

People walked past the windows of the coffee shop, going about with their normal everyday lives. The strum of fingers against a guitar made peaceful music from opposite the windows. A man walked by and stopped in front of the guitar player. He gives the player a more than considerable amount of money, a hundred-dollar bill in return for a handful of change in the guitar case. He decants the coins his other hand that was clad with a dark blue ring.

It's Elijah.

He looks at Slater, Damon and Rose through the windows.

Stefan didn't believe Caroline. "Okay. Now, I'm leaving." He told her in all seriousness.

"Wait!" She tried her best but it was over, Cora knew it.

Stefan put his bag over his shoulder, looking back at her. "No, no, no, Caroline, you have two seconds to come clean."

"What do you mean?" Caroline played the innocent card with the cute tilt of her head.

Cora thought it was amusing to watch. "I'd believe the whole innocent act a little better if I didn't know how good you were at providing a distraction on demand. Where is Elena?" It was more of a demand now.

Caroline bit her lip. "I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me? Are you kidding me?" Stefan almost laughed at that.

Caroline made a promise and she can't go back on it now. "I'm sorry but I...I can't tell you."

"No, she can't. But I can." Cora didn't make a promise to Elena, she hardly knows the girl.

Stefan turned to Cora, awaiting an answer from her while Caroline put her puppy-dog eyes out to show. "Elena was kidnapped. She could have been killed, you have to tell me where she is, Cora."

Cora nodded, she understood his urgency to know but Elena wasn't in any immediate danger. Her own loyalties lay with Caroline. She was a Forbes, and her promise will last an eternity. "She is not in any danger. Caroline would not have left your Elena put herself in any danger."

The clock was ticking behind his eyes, Cora could see it. "Put herself in danger where? What do you...? She's with Damon, isn't she?" Cora narrowed her grey eyes at that while Caroline looked disgusted.