A Heart Worth Loving

Sitting in the Bennett's living room, Layla nervously played with her fingers and looked up as Bonnie's grandma entered the room with a tray of tea.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Sheila asked, setting the tray down on the table and handing Layla a cup from it.

"I was hoping that you'd be able to help me," Layla replied, taking a sip of her tea and continuing, "I want you to teach me how to reconnect with my powers."

"Reconnecting with your powers won't be easy, especially since you haven't used them in so long," Sheila told her, "It will require your full commitment and a promise..."

"What sort of promise?"

"The promise that your powers will be used only for good."

"I promise... I just want to be able to protect the people that I care about most."

"In that case, come over in the morning and we will get started straight away."

Nodding in agreement, Layla finished her tea and thanked Sheila as she left to head over to the Salvador's house. Letting herself in when she arrived, she followed the voices that she could hear and smiled as she joined her friends.

"Everything go okay with my grams?" Bonnie asked as she hugged Layla in greeting.

"Yeah, how'd it go with Hadley?" Layla added, sitting up on the counter and looking over at Damon for an answer.

"It didn't, he wasn't at his trailer and we decided that you were right," Damon told her.

"I'm not so sure about that," Layla mumbled, thinking back to her encounter with him earlier that night, "I ran into him outside the grill and he made it pretty clear that he knows that I'm hiding something... I don't think he plans on leaving it alone until he has what he came for."

"So, why not give him what he wants..." Matt suggested, causing everyone to look at him in confusion, "He's not here for any of us, he wants the people in those files and we can give him at least one of them."

"Do you really think that would work?" Elena inquired, handing Layla a drink and taking a seat at the table.

"I don't think it would make him leave, but it might keep him off our trail for a little while," Stefan said.

"We can't just hand over Seth, Hadley is here searching for members of a coven and he probably has no idea that they no longer possess magic," Layla argued, "He may be a bad guy, but he's also human and there's no telling what Hadley will do to him."

"Layla is right, you know," came Seth's voice from behind them, "Handing me over wouldn't end well for anyone."

"What do you want, Seth?" Layla asked as she jumped down off of the counter.

"I already told you what I want," Seth replied, moving further into the kitchen and looking around as he continued, "I want information on the hunter that is trying to kill me."

"Then go find it out for yourself," Layla told him, causing Seth to turn his full attention to her and smirk.

"Your mother would be so disappointed if she could see the types of people that you've chosen to associate with."

"I don't really care what that woman would think," Layla snapped in response, "Just leave."

"Oh, I'm leaving," Seth stated, "Watch your back, Layla, we wouldn't want anything happening to you... see you around."

Watching as Seth left, Layla felt a pang of fear rise within her and took a shaky deep breath. Seth may not have his power anymore, but he was desperate to get it back and desperation could make people do horrible things.

"Lay," Damon called as he came up beside her, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Layla mumbled, "Seth can get his own information and Hadley can do whatever he likes as long as he stays away from us... this isn't our fight."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but in her head, Layla was already putting together a plan and it was one that didn't involve the people she cared about getting hurt.