Capital Letters

seven

Nathan stood firmly in the living room, positioned behind his girlfriend, who was seated on the couch. The atmosphere was tense as Caroline began to recount her recent encounter with Katherine, who had paid her an unsettling visit earlier that morning. They were all present, waiting anxiously for Stefan and Aria to return from their hunting trip.

Stefan and Aria eventually burst into the house, concern etched on their faces. "What happened?" Stefan inquired, sensing the urgency in the room.

Nathan glanced down at Caroline, soothingly massaging her shoulders as a sign of encouragement. "Go on, tell them. You guys will love this," he urged her.

"I saw Katherine today," Caroline confessed, her voice trembling slightly.

"Where?" Aria questioned, her curiosity piqued.

"At the Grill. I went in to pick up the food we ordered for breakfast, and I had to pick it up because I lost a bet with Nathan," Caroline explained, casting a fond look at her boyfriend.

Nathan flashed a grin in response, proudly confirming, "Yup, sure did."

Damon couldn't help but roll his eyes at the playful banter. "Alright, let's just skip ahead to the stuff we wanna know," he interjected.

Caroline nodded and continued, "I went to the bathroom, and she was there, pretending to be Elena. I tried to leave, but she's a lot faster than me. You guys have got to teach me how to be faster." Nathan chuckled and shared a knowing look with Aria, appreciating Caroline's determination to improve her abilities. "But anyways," Caroline resumed, "she said that she has a message for you guys."

Stefan's curiosity grew. "What was the message?" he inquired.

"She wants the moonstone," Caroline revealed, her voice tinged with worry. "She said she will rip this town apart until it rains blood."

Nathan exchanged glances with the others, his smile growing wider. He had a plan forming in his mind—a plan to finally rid themselves of Katherine. "Go on, tell them the rest," he urged Caroline.

Caroline continued, "She wants it tonight, at the masquerade ball." Stefan noted the significance of Katherine's choice of venue.

"She wants to do it in public. Killing Mason threw her off guard," he surmised.

Aria couldn't help but smirk. "She's running scared," she commented.

Damon chimed in with a grin. "What she did to Jenna was desperate. She's out of tricks."

Stefan, ever the voice of reason, cautioned, "We can't underestimate her. We have to play this smarter than her."

Caroline offered a suggestion, her voice hopeful. "Can't we just give her the stone? So she'll leave?"

Nathan reacted swiftly, placing his hand over Caroline's mouth to prevent her from saying more. He shook his head vigorously. "No. Katherine's not getting shit," he declared with determination. "We're gonna go to the masquerade ball and kill her."

Damon enthusiastically supported his younger brother's resolve. "Yes, we are. Crazy Nathan has come out to play. Katherine's got nothing on crazy Nathan."

Aria and Caroline exchanged puzzled glances, both having heard Damon mention "crazy Nathan" before but never fully understanding the reference. Now, they were beginning to get a glimpse of what it meant.

"Nathan's not gonna kill her."

Nathan's jaw dropped at Stefan's words. Rolling his eyes he turned to Stefan, glaring at him. "Hell no, Stefan. Get out of my house. I'm killing the bitch."