Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

My head hurts, not the type of pain you'd get after too many hours of looking at your homework, but the kind after someone bangs a metal pipe against your head.

Before I can think about what got me in this situation I hear a shrill voice shout something behind me.

"Elena, are you okay?!"

Opening my eyes slowly I found the source of screaming, a teenage girl with bouncy blonde hair is looking at me with a worried expression on her face.

"I told you she couldn't do that move Caroline!" A tan girl with dark brown hair kneels in front of me and helps me sit up.

"I just thought she was too lazy to do it, and performing a couple cheer moves at this party might score us a few new boyfriends"

So the blond next to me is Caroline and the brunette in front of me is Bonnie, now I'm just missing who Elena is.

"Are you feeling ok Elena? That's quite a rough landing you made there."

Seeing as Bonnie is looking right in my eyes I'm gonna assume she's talking to me,

"Yeah I'm good, no worries."

"I told you she was gonna be fine" says the blonde as she moves in front of me and pulls me up

But since I have no idea who these girls are, who I am or where in god's name I am, I highly doubt that.

"Should I call your parents to take you home Elena?"

"Yeah, thanks Bonnie" I whisper, if I'm dealing with short-term memory loss my parents should be able to help me, I hope.

Bonnie waits with me untill my parents arrive, although I have no idea who she is, she's nice to talk to. Or rather, listen too, as I still have no idea what's going on.

A car arrives, two people step out, a rather tall and irritated-looking man, whom I assume is my father. And a slightly shorter woman whose expression is more worried than irritated, probably my mother.

"Elena, are you feeling alright? Does your father need to check you out?" Rambles my mother out after embracing me.

Well either my dad's a pervert or in the medical field, I hope the latter.

"Maybe ditching family night for friends who give you a concussion wasn't such a great idea Elena?" my dad says while my mom looks at him disapprovingly

Not remembering there even being a family night, I say goodbye to Bonnie and get in the car

My house must be pretty far, but a long (and awkwardly silent) car ride is just what I need to sort out my thoughts.

A light goes on in my head when the car nears a sign "Welcome to Mystic Falls". Two girls named Caroline and Bonnie, my name being Elena and I live in Mystic Falls.

I'm in the fucking vampire diaries.

Needing to check that I'm not insane, my hand shoots for my phone, instead of my new smartphone, I find a damn nokia. The year says 2009.

Forgetting my name is one thing but traveling back in time is giving me a worse headache than when I fell on my face an hour ago.

I'm in the TV show The Vampire Diaries

I'm Elena Gilbert, the girl whose life gets royally fucked up by 2 guys who are wayyy too old for her.

The girl whose aunt dies by some hybrid freak,

The girl whose parents die in a car accident,

The girl whose parents die in a car accident while picking her up from a party,

I just got picked up from a party,

Fuck.

Before I can say anything I hear my mother scream and the next thing I know cold water is pouring into my boots. My hands shoot to my seatbelt, I try to tug it out but nothing seems to be working.

I know my life isn't in any actual danger, because a certain ripper with a hero complex is nearby.

But fuck if my instincts don't give in to try and free myself. I try to pull and push myself out from under my seatbelt, the water is already to my waist now.

I try to find anything to cut my seatbelt with and in doing so I look at my, or Elena's parents.

They're gonna die because of a fake daughter, they both look at me and smile. There's no use in freeing myself at this point, the car is in way too deep.

I hold their hands, I feel the water at my neck now, man drowning is gonna suck. I smile at them one last time before the water is in my lungs.

Dear diary,

It has been a very long summer, as expected I got saved by my future vampire stalker from drowning, unfortunately, Elena's parents do not look like his ex-girlfriend, their funeral service was a few months ago.

It took me some time to adjust to a new body and a new life, but thankfully my 14 year old self watched the vampire diaries more than she could count.

So I'm still hoping this is just a weird dream, and I just took too many shrooms. I will try to stick to the plot as closely as possible. With some minor changes,

For starters, don't let Caroline get abused by a 200 year old psycho, I maybe should still let her turn into a vampire, she seemed happier that way. Also no death for aunt Jenna, Bonnie's grandmother, Vicki or Lexi. I was never much of a fan of history so I could do without Tanner.

I put my diary back in the dresser. I've read through the entire thing about five times now. I knew the broad aspects of her life, but if I want to blend in as Elena Gilbert I need to know her favorite food, friends, and frenemies.

I'm glad Jenna hasn't seen Elena in a while, makes it easier when I don't have to pretend too much

"Morning Elena, want me to make toast?" I shake my head,

"Don't you have a meeting with your professor?" At least I think so, she was definitely late for something

"With my thesis advisor but that's in, oh shit, right now. Do you need anything, did I forget anything?" spurted Jenna out

"Nah we're fine, go before you're too late" Jeremy, who just got downstairs and makes me glad I never had an emo little brother, nods at my statement

"So, uh, how is it going Jer?" Wow i could not be more awkward

"Great" the way he said makes me think he wasn't feeling so great

Being an orphan teenager whose pill popping crush doesn't like him probably doesn't make you feel great.

When jeremy pours a cup of coffee, I get a text from Bonnie, my new/old best friend is waiting for me outside.

"So my grams is telling me that I'm psychic" Bonnie tells me with a jokey tone

Maybe I should push her in the right direction, It must be easier to believe you're a witch when your best friend does

" What do you think that means?" I Can't exactly say, surprise you're actually a witch! Congrats, you'll be used as a personal magic machine by your best friends

"That it's finally time to put her in a home, she went on and on about how our ancestors are from Salem and we're special"

"I don't think it's that weird, maybe you should talk to her about it some more?"

Bonnie looks like she wants to laugh, but then gets a contemplative look on her face.

"I mean it's probably just the dementia kicking in, but I guess there's no harm in hearing her out" she smiles

"Look out!" A bird nearly killed itself on Bonnie's car but she swerves in time to avoid it.

Bird?, oh yeah that weird magic Damon bird that only appears in season 1

"You okay Lena?" Bonnie looks at me like I'm a shivering puppy

"Yeah good, fine,

I guess I should be more scared of cars after almost dying in one, the trauma of being transported in my preteen favorite show might have had a dulling effect on it

''Can't be scared forever."

Arriving at school my heart sinks, going back to high school might be worse than the murderous vampires in town

Before I can even begin to think about the horrors of P.E. I hear a familiar voice behind me

"Elena, Bonnie, oh my god I'm so glad to see you guys again!!" Caroline embraces me and Bonnie in a bone crushing hug

"We literally went back to school shopping three days ago" I knew Elena's parents for a whole half hour before they died, not enough trauma to isolate myself from my friend I guess

In the corner of my eye I see someone who I definitely did avoid, Matt. No reason to date the guy Elena was planning on dumping anyway. I turn my eyes away from him.

"Men are so pathetic when they pine, major turn off" Caroline says while looking right at the sad blond puppy

Me and Bonnie smile, I'll remember what she said when she and Matt start dating.

I see Bonnie and Caroline stare very intensely behind me, but my vision is focussed on Jeremy walking into the bathroom.

Going after him didn't end up working out for Elena, and since I'm not even his actual sister maybe I should just stay out of business for now

"Thank god he is hot" I hear Bonnie breath out, Stefan is here

I turn around and yeah, damn, he's hot. I see him look my way, his eyes fixate on me. If he wasn't so hot, I might've felt like a gazelle with a lion ready to pounce.

Collecting myself I give him a small smile, I feel Caroline tugging at my arm

"Oh! My! God! He totally eye banged you just now"

"He totally did not eye bang me" I mean, I don't think so

"He definitely did" Bonnie adds while we walk to class

Listening to the most boring teacher ever was pretty hard, even harder is not looking at the very attractive guy staring at you. Which Bonnie was nice enough to let you know about through a text.

See it is creepy that he likes Elena, or me i guess now just because I look like his abusive ex-girlfriend. But to be honest I would be a little fucked up in the head if a clone of my dead boyfriend just showed up out of the blue

When class finishes up I set my sights on the cemetery, not that I'm that sentimental about visiting Elena's parents, but I need to try to stick to the plot. No cemetery, no Damon scare, no Stefan meeting, no dropping my diary and then no Stefan at my doorstep.

I akwardly sit down infront of the Gilberts headstone, feeling bad for them doesn't work as well when I remember the torture going on at Withmore college.

Then the smokeshow starts, I know I need to get away. Having Katherine's face might save me from getting offed right away, but dealing with early psycho Damon really isn't high on my to do list.

"Shit!"

A raven flies next to my face and I fall on my ass and roll down the small hill the cemetery rests on.

"You okay?" I am now, jezus he's way hotter in person

I look at the younger Salvatore brother putting his hand out for me, I take it

"Yeah, I just got freaked out by a bird just now, a bit Hitchcock if I say myself" ,his eyes are much more green upclose

"I'm Elena" saying that feels a little weird

"I'm Stefan" he dusts some grass away from my jacket

" Yeah you're the new guy right?" I know I have the face of his dead girlfriend and all but he is staring a little bit too hard, how was Elena never creeped out by this?

"I just moved in with my uncle and-" the stare is even worse now, it feels like he is staring through my eyes straight into my brain

"Did you get hurt?" Oh yeah, Blood.

I look down at my leg, right below my knee a dark spot was forming from the blood underneath.

I look up and to no surprise, Stefan is gone.

Chapter Text

After I finished eating dinner with aunt Jenna I waited in the living room for Stefan to drop by.

It was kinda pathetic to spend my time waiting for a guy, but Elena's room didn't have much entertainment besides doing homework.

I spring off the sofa when the knocking finally arrives.

"Hi Stefan, what-uh are you doing here?"let me not question how mystic falls #1 stalker found my address

" I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier, I know it was, strange" he smiles

"No worries, not a fan of blood, I get it" knowing he was on the same level as swifties when it came to being a fan of blood

"Something like that" he laughed a bit

"How is your leg?" He could actually look at it now without wanting to bite it off

"No complaints" I smiled when i saw him pull Elena's diary from his bag, "I wondered where that went, thanks for bringing it back"

"Don't worry, I didn't read it" at this point i'm the one invading Elena Gilbert's privacy.

After some diary bonding I invite Stefan to the Grill.

When we walk into the Grill I can practically feel Matt's staring, poor guy, really doesn't have any luck in the love department in the future.

"You were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asks like she can already see their wedding

"I moved when i was still young"

"Parents?" She continues

"Passed away" his eyes go to me

"I'm sorry" If i was Elena I could actually empathise with him, although his dad was a major dick

"Any siblings?" Caroline feels emboldened to keep questioning after the previous hard hitting questions

"None that I talk to, I live with my uncle" I'd rather not think about Damon at this moment

"So since you're new, you don't know about the party tomorrow right?" Very smooth Caroline

"It's a back to school thing at the falls" Bonnie adds

Stefan looks back at me "Are you going?"

Before I can respond, Bonnie interjects that I am. I smile at her and then back at Stefan.

The battle at Willow Creek..

How many casualties...

Elena?

God why did Elena choose history, even if I had paid attention I wouldn't have known any of this stuff.

Tanner keeps staring into my soul for an answer,

"250?" Might as well guess something

"Not even close, miss Gilbert, i was willing to be lenient the past year, but the personal excuses ended with spring break"

Jezus man her parents died, thank god he gets eaten later

"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting local civilians" Stefan riding in on his white horse to save the day.

Tanner looks like correcting Stefan is his birthday present, gross

Then ensues the epic history battle of asshole mid life crisis history teacher vs 100 something year old vampire

I fucking hate parties, but dancing and chatting with Bonnie about her latest talks with her Granny makes it tolerable.

"So are you hoping your new boytoy will show up, Lena?"

"Bonnie he's not my boytoy, we just talked a few times, my god" I hope Stefan's not abusing his vampire hearing powers to listen to this

"He was staring at you the whole class, and he put Tanner in his place, perfect boytoy material if you ask me" I think Bonnies second beer is kicking in

"So what, are you the love witch now Bonnie?" I laugh

"Yup time to predict your love life" Bonnie took my hands, and closed her eyes "My grandma says I have to concentrate"

Not a second after Bonnie closed her eyes, they flew right open

"What?" If i remember correctly a vision of crows, fuck you Damon.

"It's weird, when I touched you, I kinda.. felt someone" Bonnie looks at me weird

"Who did you see Bonnie, what are you talking about" It's gotta have to do with me yanking her best friends body for my own

"Oh looks there's Stefan, gotta go" Bonnie nearly runs away

Thank god Bonnie is just a baby witch

"Hé Stefan how are you liking the party" i try to say as least awkward as possible

"I almost got kidnapped by Caroline, but other then that, great"

"Yeah don't worry, she's just sinking her claws in the new guy. New people rarely ever come to our school" and who can blame Caroline, when talking to him I'm almost glad I have the same face as Katherine Pierce.

"So how are you holding up, Caroline told me a bit more about the accident"

I don't know what to say, it feels wrong pretending my parents died, my life got screwed up. Because it didn't, roleplaying as Elena to her grieving family is already hard enough, I don't want to do it to a guy she didn't even know

"You don't have to tell me, I get how it can be hard" it's hard to imagine a guy so sweet as him could rip the throats out of so many people

"I don't really know how to feel, it's like I'm a completely different person and I have to play pretend around everyone" that's honest at least

Stefan looks down at me with such sweet eyes it makes me wanna cry

"I understand the feeling, some time ago a lot changed for me too. Putting up an act for others makes it easier to fit in"

He must be talking about being a vampire, or switching to a bunny diet. Not only can't he show he's a vampire, he has to pretend to be a vegetarian so he can cope with the shit he did in the past.

Oh shit Vicky Donovan, I totally forgot. I should probably stop Damon from fucking with her. Not like him attacking her had any plot relevance, Damon was just a dick.

Now to come up with an excuse

"Oh Stefan, sorry.. uh I have to go check on my brother" i say very apologetically, this was a great conversation but I feel really bad for Vicky

He smiles "No worries, is he doing ok?"

"Bit of a major drug habit, plus being an edgy teenager, bad combination. Gotta check if he's not doing coke or something"

"Your brother is doing cocaïne?" He looks worried, wrong drug to choose from

"Or weed or.. something, it's pretty much all the same really" Stefan smiles at me like you would look at a cute kid doing something really wrong, but you don't want to correct them

I run to the woods,

I see Tyler Lockwood run out of the woods,

He looks a like a kicked puppy with his tail between his legs, fitting

When i find some mysterious fog creeping up against my sneakers I know I'm close

"Jeremy, is that you?" I hear a shaky voice on the left of me say

"It's Elena" I say, taking a few steps, I'm met with Vicky Donovan

"What the hell are you doing here Elena, did Jeremy send you? I forgot she nearly got molested here by Tyler, obviously she's not in a good mood

I look awkwardly at her, what was i doing in the creepy dark forest at night

The same lie can work twice right?

"I was actually looking for him, Jeremy, someone saw him go in the woods, do you know where he went?" Good save not-elena

"Why the fuck should I know where he is, he's not my pet or something" she sneers

Well you kinda treat him like one

"What?!"

Oh shit I said that out loud

"You have no fucking right to say shit like that after what you did to my brother, don't act like you're better then me"

"Wait I didn't me-"

"Fuck you Elena, I'm not dealing with you tonight" she storms off, thankfully in the direction of the party

"That's the last time I try to save her ass for sure" I breathe out, time to go home

"Save her from what, or better yet.. who?" A low voice from behind me speaks, shit

If I don't turn around I can just pretend I didn't hear anything.

I feel a rush of wind from my back go around me, and a fair of icy blue eyes stare back at me.

He grins "Well are you going to answer me or keep undressing me with your eyes"

This isn't fun, i feel fucking stupid

I'm alone in a forest with an actual fucking serial killer. I knew he wasn't going to anything in the cemetery because of the show but anything can happen here. Did he go after Vicky because he was hungry or just wanted to play. I don't know what option is worse to be honest.

I have to answer.

"A lot of slimy teenagers boys around here, just helping other girls out" i try to smile, it doesn't work

He stares into my eyes and lowers his lips next to my left ear, his breathing is warm in the cold autumn weather.

"I'd know that's a lie even if your heartbeat didn't give you away" he looks into my eyes again. I now can only hear the sound of my heart pumping in my ears, perhaps the same goes for him

"So let me ask again, who were you protecting your little friend from" his eyes change, he's trying to compel me. Which would be hard since I take it in my tea every morning, thanks to the stash of Dr Gilbert

I should answer but I can't think of anything more believable than my previous lie.

He frowns but keeps his eerie smile, he scans my body but looks back at me when he can't find what he's looking for.

"Vervain huh? Annoying little herb, especially when used by girls so delicious looking as you" he smirks

"Who told you about vampires" he eyes narrow

I can't be compelled but still have no choice but to answer.

"My parents"

"Where are they now"

"Dead"

"Great- ouch

-well let's make a little deal then Elena" always nice to know that stalkerism runs in families.

He continues "You help me get settled in town, don't spill to your little friends that the new hotty in town is a vampire and I wont drain you like a juice packet, how does that sound" he gives me a big grin

It's the fucking pilot how am I fucking up this much already. My thought are stopped by Damon's hand on my chin, forcing me to look directly at him

"I don't really have a choice, do I" hoping my sarcastic tone doesn't set him off

"Nope" he smiles

He takes his hand away and puts it on my hip, before i can say anything he takes my phone out of my back pocket and flips it open

"Hé what are you-

"No need to panic hun just making sure i have my little errand girls phone number"

I stick my hand out for the phone, no need for him to get handsy again.

He chuckles at the gesture, returning the phone in my hand. But instead of letting go he grabs my hand tightly

"Have fun at the party Elena~" he brings my hand to his lips, I thought they would feel cold but I feel a gentle warm touch on my hand. And when I look up, there's no one there.

When I got out of the forest I grabbed Jeremy right away and pulled him into the car. I told Bonnie and Caroline that Jenna recently got strict with curfews and that I had to leave. I waved at Stefan in the distance, who, from what Caroline told me, left not a few minutes after.

When I got home, I finally checked my phone to see a new contact added.

Damon<3

Chapter Text

Dear Diary

I'm screwed, Damon already found out that I know more than I should about vampires. I could still play it off as " Hé my parents knew about vampires and wanted to protect me" instead of "Hé I know your entire future and past because I got bodytransfered in the future love of your life". Yeah I'll stick with the first option.

Already excited about doing high school again I grab my backpack and head out of my room.

" Hold on, do I look adult?" I hear Jenna ask as she walk towards me

" As in, respectfully parental?" She adds

"Yeahh definitely, what do you need to look parental for?" The shitty parent teacher conference because my brother is going through an emo phase

"Jeremy's parent-teacher conference, hair up or down?" Jenna's eyes go from the mirror to mine

"Up looks the more parent-e" I smile

"Up it is" Jenna wishes me a good day at school and goes downstairs, hopefully she doesn't get too bullied by Tanner today

Blabla bla… Comet… bla blabla 145 years

Jezus I remember why i dropped history, this shit is so boring and I can’t even go off previous knowledge. Dutch history doesn’t really overlap that much with confederate America history.

While I have a meltdown in my head I notice Mr. herohair staring at me from the row next to me, I turn my head slightly and give him a smile. To my defence, who can resist a guy like him.

I may be imagining it but his eyes become a little bit green when our eyes meet, he gives me a smile back and retains his gaze on me. God I don’t even know if i should feel bad for taking Elena’s place at the moment, technically he didn’t even know her. But still, the girl he fell head over heels for, the girl he risked his life countless times for, is simply not me. But on the bright side, the girl that cheated on him with his brother is also not me.

‘’Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Miss Gilbert?’’ Tanners snide remark brings me out of my overthinking cycle

I see Bonnie turn around, smirk at me, and mouth a word I can only assume is ‘’'boytoy’’.

I ignore Tanner's death stare, must not have had many friends in highschool I’d imagine, and luckily the bell rings right away.

I quickly stuff my books in my backpack next to me and head for the door, where Stefan is waiting for me.

‘’If you keep staring at me like that Tanner might even start to hate us both more’’ I smile

‘’ You know what, I don’t even that's possible’’ Stefan returns my smile again

‘’ Yeah I think you became his number one arch nemesis when you defeated him in the history battle’’ I say, and see Stefan smirk a little, ah, so 100 year old vampires can still find entertainment out of putting a 40 year old naggy teacher in his place.

‘’Perhaps he’ll be less harsh on his students knowing that he doesn’t know everything about history either’’ His slight smirk remains

‘’ I doubt it, I think I’ll have to study twice as hard for the upcoming test, I majorly suck at history’’ The only thing I learned from history out of Elena’s diary is that we share our suckyness in history

I see Bonnie and Caroline in the distance near our lockers, I turn to say goodbye

‘’ I could always tutor you if you would like’’ Stefan looks me in my eyes

I smile, ‘’Yeah I think i would like that’’ with other boys my age I might’ve thought that ‘’tutoring’’ would be a synonym for getting in my pants, Stefan on the other hand is thankfully far above that. Although I wouldn't mind that much if he wasn’t in this case.

‘’Lenaaa we need your advice over here!’’ I, and everyone in the hallway, hear Caroline yell.

I sheepishly look at Stefan as he looks a little judgy at Caroline, although he marries her in the end so jokes on him.

‘’We’ll discuss it more later’’

‘’Yeah’’ I wave goodbye, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically and walk towards Caroline and Bonnie.

The advice I had to give had to do with a certain tall dark and handsome older guy Caroline met, none if it was heard by a love struck Caroline of course.

I’ve saved Vicky, time to make Caroline not a victim of Damon at the ripe age of 17.

I wave goodbye to Bonnie and Caroline and walk to my car, before I can get my keys out I get a notification on my phone.

Damon <3

Hey little errand girl, time to do some after school homework for me,

xoxo Damon

Linked in it was, what I assume to be, the coordinates to the salvatore boarding house, fuck. Well at least Damon hasn’t taken my head off in my sleep for possibly being an obstacle for freeing his cheating ex-girlfriend. So better take my chances to stay on the ‘’maybe don’t kill list’’ of Damon, currently including me, possibly Zach and Stefan. Not an awesome list to be on.

The drive took about 15 minutes since Mystic Falls could be driven through in probably less than an hour, the directions were barely necessary since the boarding house stuck out as a sore thumb after driving through 25 streets of suburban housing. I lock my car and walk up to the door with my heart beating so fast that probably the tomb vampires could hear it.

Well It could be Stefan or Zach opening the door, if it was, what would I say then? ‘’PLEASE HELP ME YOUR BROTHER/VAMPIRE ANCESTOR IS TRYING TO MURDER ME’’ probably not the best idea, I have no idea how Stefan is going to react if I tell him I know about all the vampire shizzle. He was ready to leave the real Elena whom he was in love with at the time, I doubt non Elena whom he’s not in love with will help with anything.

I tug reluctantly on the bell hanging next to the door, no answer.

Well either his vampire hearing vanished or he’s being a dick again, yeah, probably the latter.

I move to knock on the door but it opens with the lightest touch of my fist. I’m greeted with the most stylish living room I've ever seen. All the furniture looks like It’s ripped right from a 19th century film set. I look up at the huge fireplace at the center of the back wall while I walk past the reddish Victorian couches. I get that vampires might not care for modern television that much, but I feel bad for Zach for living in a warmer version of Dracula’s castle.

bam!

I turn around as I hear the door slam harshly behind me, I move my eyes back to the fireplace and-

‘’Hello Elena, so nice of you to stop by’’ Damons cold eyes make me want to barge through the large wooden door and forget I ever met him, his eyes follow mine.

‘’We still have so much to do, you can’t leave just yet’’ He smirks, then puts his hand on the lower part of my back and guides me to sit down on the couch, while he takes the chair facing it.

I try to look calm and collected but I probably look like I'm about to shit myself any moment. I remain silent, fearing that I might throw up the moment I open my mouth.

Damon reaches for the glass of what I assume is bourbon on the side table next to him,

‘’So Elena, I assume from our last fun encounter that you know a little something about me’’ he takes a sip of his bourbon.

‘’Uh, I-uh , you’re new in town?’’ I stammer, very unsuspiciously of course.

He stares into my eyes, a smirk forming on his lips,

‘’Cute, well you and I know I can’t compel you, but vervain doesn’t stop me from ripping your little head off though’’ I can feel his eyes burning on my throat.

I straighten in my seat, come on not-Elena grow some balls, I’ve thought about this.

‘’I know you’re a vampire..’’ I whisper, finally making eye contact with Damon

‘’Ding ding ding, ten points to Elena, I’m more curious about how much you know, and how you know it though’’ still that awful smirk that could've been cute, if I didn’t know he used a hiker as a juice packet this morning.

‘’Well-uh, my dad told me, a-about vampire I mean. I don’t know much, just about vervain and the usual stuff about vampires.’’ phew, managed to get a sentence out.

‘’The usual?’’ he leans in forward on his chair

‘’Stakes, sunlight, although that doesn’t seem to bother you’’

‘’Wanna find out why?’’ he grins

‘’Not really’’ Damon lets out a small laugh

‘’Not a big fan of vampires? I thought all teenage girls were pulling their panties down for that Edward guy’’

‘’I was more team Jacob’’ I said with a little less fear in my voice, doesn’t seem like he minds all that much about my knowing about vampires. Undoubtedly thanks to my current face, if Caroline was on vervain when she met Damon, I don’t think twice that would've been the second funeral Elena attended.

He smirks, ‘’I’d be offended but Edward was way too boring, being a vampire is much more fun’’ I just know Damon was pissed off the whole time he read Twilight, Edward could be Stefan if he was just a little more emo.

‘’I’d be pretty pissed off too if everytime I went outside, I’d shine like a disco ball’’ I smile, remembering the endless conversations I’d had with my friends about what type of vampire would be the best one. Twilight vampires definitely suck the most (no pun intended), dumb sun rule, dumb way to die, powers are pretty cool tho. I wouldn’t mind being a vampire here, Bonnie could be persuaded into making a daylight ring, and looking like a young, hot Elena Gilbert for a long time wouldn’t be the worst. How Klaus would murder me and my entire family for turning would be the worst tho, so that idea is on hold for now.

‘’Ah looks like someone has finally calmed down-’’ He leans back on his chair, the eye contact turns a little more bearable. ‘’-so what do you know about a possible anti-vampire counsel operating in this town’’

No point in hiding it, he’ll worm his way into sheriff Forbes hands, if he hasn’t already.

‘’Yeah, I’m not on it or anything, they don’t even know I know and stuff’’ I ramble

‘’Hold on hun-’’ Damon raised his hands up signaling me to calm down.

‘’ -I’m not accusing you of being Van Helsing or something, I would just like to know more about it. For example, who is part of the club’’

‘’Well all the founding families, like the Lockwoods, Forbes and previously my parents’’ While I explain Damon looks like he is listening attentively

‘’And their kids?’’ he asks, probably thinking of who he can and can’t make a light snack of.

‘’I’m not sure, I’ve never heard them say anything, but the counsel also doesn’t know that I know’’ Damon never really went after the counsel members so by telling him Caroline might be smarter then he thinks could strike ‘’save Caroline from pedo Damon’’ off my list.

‘’Huh interesting, seems like things haven’t changed all that much, that does make it a little harder’’ He mumbles this time, definitely thinking of his plan to save his cheating evil ex-girlfriend.

‘’So, can I go now?’’ I say hesitantly

Damon humms,

‘’Well you did help me out a bit’’ thank fuck time to go

‘’But how do I know you won’t go blabbering around town crying vampire?’’ Damon smirks as he slowly stands up from his lounge chair.

I panicky shoot up from the sofa, ‘’I promise I won’t go saying a word to anyone, my friends wouldn’t even believe me I swear.’’

Damon walks around the coffee table, which for my taste was way too short at the moment, I take a few steps back in the direction of the door.

‘’Well the counsel would definitely believe you, and before you know it i’d have a whole mob at my door’’ Damon walks in my direction

‘’Well why didn’t you kill me before then, I could’ve screamed vampire to everyone when you let me live in the woods’’ I scramble out as fast as I can, still walking backwards to the door.

I see Damon contemplate for a moment, then he looks me in the eye and smiles, a little less creepy than I have come to expect, while he opens his mouth to speak. I take one more step backwards but almost leap forward instead when I feel a solid object behind me. A big hand snakes its way around my waist to prevent me from face planting out of fear. The moment I find my stability the hand disappears as fast as it came.

I spin around and see Stefan staring daggers in the direction of Damon,

‘’Uh- hi Stefan’’ I softly mutter

‘’Stefan, brother, so nice of you to join us’’ Damon’s cold stare makes it look otherwise.

‘’What is she doing here Damon’’ Stefan grunts, man i’m right here jezus

Damon smirks, probably ready for his favorite hobby: annoy Stefan.

‘’Me and the lovely Elena were having a wonderful conversation about-

‘’HE TRIED TO EAT ME’’ I scream and point at Damon, my eyes widening as I shuffle a bit more back to be even closer to Stefan. No way am I taking part of any of Damon’s fucking schemes, my best bet is to have Stefan be my personal bodyguard from now on.

Damon deadpans, looking at me like he didn’t just try to fucking eat me ‘’A little bit dramatic there Elena’’

I feel Stefans arm regain its old position of my waist, ‘’You should leave Damon’’ his grip tightens.

Damon regains his composure and his cold & creepy smirk returns with it, ‘’This is my house too Stefan, plus, I don’t think you could make me leave if you wanted to’’ He takes a step in our direction.

Before I know it my head flings back like I’m on a roller coaster into Stefan's chest and I see a mush of green and blue all around me, before coming to an abrupt halt. I see static all around my field of vision and try to focus on the one spot in front of me, that spot being Stefans worried face.

‘’Elena are you alright, did Damon hurt you?’’ Stefans hands pull down the collar of my shirt, I try to slap his hand away, but it comes out as me throwing my hand limply against Stefans hand. A bit pathetic.

‘’Sorry’’ Stefan whispers and pulls his hand away.

‘’All good’’ I blurt out, trying to keep the feeling of nausea down. Stefan takes a step back and I take a deep breath.

‘’Ok yeah, Damon didn’t hurt me, well yet, he was definitely about to.’’

‘’I’m so sorry Elena, I didn’t think he would act out so fast’’ Stefan has a pained look on his face. You’d think after at least 100 years you’d get a good therapist to work out that guilt complex.

‘’Damon being a fucking psycho isn’t your fault Stefan, I definitely should’ve brought vervain pepper spray’’ I smile, next time I’m definitely bringing vervain pepperspray

‘’So-uh you know, right?’’ Stefan hesitantly questions, still looking a bit tense

‘’Yeah vampires, vervain, the basics’’ and everything else that happened and will happen in your life, but that's a story for another time.

Stefan lets out a breath, he puts his hands behind him and straightens out his back.

‘’Oh thank god that saves a lot of explaining’’ he smiles, ‘’I know you might be a bit scared of everything right now but I promise I will not try to hurt or compel you’’ which would definitely be the case if I didn’t know that the only things that need to be afraid of Stefan Salvatore, have long ears and a fluffy tail.

‘’Well you whisked me away from the murderous evil vampire so you earned my trust Stefan’’ I smile, my life isn’t so doomed as long as Stefan stays a goody two shoes and keeps Damon the hell away from me and Elena’s friends.

‘’That's good to know, you won’t regret it Elena, you should get home now though, I have to talk with Damon.’’

‘’As long as we can just walk, if you whoosh me like that again I think I’ll actually throw up this time’’ I sheepishly smile, Stefan is definitely too sweet to throw up on. Stefan returns my smile and gives a small laugh. He starts walking to what I presume is the way back to the boarding house and gestures to me to follow.

‘’I promise I won’t woosh you again’’ He smiles, I quicken my pace and catch up with him and we walk for about a minute till I see the edges of the boarding house pop up. I actually feel a little sad when we reach my car, even though it's still a bit weird to hang out with a fictional character, talking to Stefan is really nice.

I turn around from my car to face Stefan. ‘’So- uh good luck with Damon, I’ll see you at school tomorrow right?’’

He smiles and opens the driver side door for me, I go to sit down still looking at Stefan, waiting for a response.

‘’Thank you, and definitely, wouldn’t miss Tanner's enlightening history lessons for the world’’ He smiles as he closes the door.

I give him a quick wave goodbye, which he returns. After that I see him whoosh into the boarding house leaving only a dust pattern behind.

Chapter Text

‘’Hi! Night of the comet, would you like a program?’’ Bonnie passes out flyer 100 for the comet viewing party tonight.

‘’So you met up with your boy toy again right?’’ Bonnie asks smugly

‘’Yes and you’re not gonna let up about the boy toy thing I’m assuming’’ I look at her with a raised brow, it’s better that she likes him right now, might freak her out less when she learns he’s a bunny sucking vampire 10 times our age.

‘’Nope, so why were you at his house again?’’ She continues passing out the flyers to some guy i recognise as one of Jeremys stoner friends

"Tutoring, for history’’ I add, a great lie if I say so myself. Stefan is better in history than Tanner plus, me and Elena have never gotten more than a B- for history tests.

‘’Mhmm tutoring ofcourse’’ says Bonnie sarcastically. ‘’Well I certainly hope you learnt a lot’’ Bonnie gives me a coy smile and takes my arm in hers as we continue walking to Caroline. Being on poster duty was obviously her idea, she definitely deserves Miss Mystic Falls if she can give such a shit about a rock in the sky.

‘’We didn’t do anything Bonnie, I promise’’ I look at her, she obviously doesn’t believe a single word I’m saying. To be fair if Stefan didn’t show interest in Elena I don't doubt Bonnie would have given him a chance.

‘’I believe you Elena’’ she doesn’t, ‘’If he has any cute brothers that do tutoring please let me know’’ She gives me a mischievous smile, only if she knew what kind of brother Stefan had.

Talking about psychotic vampire brothers, turning my head a little to the left shows a figure behind Caroline. Too far away to talk to her but close enough to make out those icy blue eyes and serial killer demeanor, Damon. I slowly disconnect my arm from Bonnie’s grip.

‘’Hé I’ll go pass my flyers out over there real quick and then we can go home before Caroline gives us another chore’’ I say, already on my way to confront him, I quickly glance back and see Bonnie mutter a confused ‘’ok’’ and continue passing out her flyers to the group of people next to her.

As I pass Caroline she’s too busy staring at Damon to notice me slacking off, I guess my ambiguous message about the children of the council members being on vervain didn’t work as well as I hoped. At Least this conversation with Damon is in public, as psychotic as he is, he isn’t stupid and wouldn’t rip my head off for all teens and grannies at the park to see, at least I hope he isn’t that stupid. I dump the remaining stack of flyers in the dumpster on my left.

Damons gaze shifts from Caroline to mine the moment I pass her, an intense stare turning into a sly smile.

‘’Elena, here to cry vampire again?’’ he smirks, goddamn he was more bearable when I was scared shitless of him, now he’s just annoying with that ‘I’m sooo much smarter and better then you’ stare.

‘’Damon, here to pray on teenage girls again?’’ I give a quick glance to Caroline, she took a break from staring hopelessly at Damon and is berating a poor girl who I believe is on our cheer squad. Better her than me I guess.

‘’A lot of girls your age just can’t resist tall, dark, handsome and mysterious’’ he smiles while waving his hand at a group of girls from my school walking by. I retain my annoyed face as I hear their giggles fade away.

I sigh ‘’Speaking of age, how old are you actually, 100, 300? Bit too old for high school girls I’m assuming’’ Now a smirk finds its way on my face.

Damon leans in a little closer, his hands now folded across his chest, ‘’ Around 173 I’d guess, stopped counting after hitting triple digits, and a bit hypocritical coming from you Elena, my little brother isn’t that much younger you know’’ And he wins the smirk war again.

‘’Fair point I suppose, the difference is that Stefan isn’t eating the townspeople unlike a certain mountain lion’’ I smile while looking Damon in the eye.

He returns with a hard stare, ‘’Mountain lion? Bit boring, in my day they could actually get a good mob together to take down a vampire’’

‘’Yeah the dinosaur age must have been sooo much better grandpa’’ I grin, ew am I actually having a decently normal conversation with an active serial killer? Get to the point not-Elena.

‘’Ouch Elena, if I had feelings you would've hurt then’’ He pouts and stops leaning forward, ‘’So have you only come to insult me or do you secretly like talking me that much’’ he smirks

‘’Actually,-’’ I turn around to see Caroline actually shaking the young cheerleader this time ’’- I saw you staring at my friend over there, to repeat my point of yesterday. She’s the daughter of Sheriff Forbes and probably on vervain, so stay away from her.’’

Damon hums, ‘’ Well you said probably on vervain, which means you’re not sure. And I was just craving some blond cheerleader.’’ the cold and creepy grin appears again.

‘’Stay away from her Damon, all the questions about the counsel makes it seem like you don’t want to out yourself as the local serial killer, so don’t get close to Caroline.’’ My brows furrow while staring into his piercing blue eyes.

‘’Bold to command a vampire to do something Elena, you have no idea how they might act out’’ He threateningly takes a step towards me

I hold my gaze on him, I have to drive the point home. Caroline was just a distraction to him, he doesn’t actually like her or has any deep interest. ‘’Damon you might be a murderer but not stupid, you probably want to remain in town for a while, otherwise you wouldn’t want my information, so stay, the fuck, away from me and my friends.’’ I see his grin shrink and his eyes darkening.

‘’Elena have you passed out all the flyers yet!’’ I hear a shrill voice yell from behind me. I turn around to the voice of course belonging to Miss Caroline Forbes, but as I face Damon again I see nothing, well lets hope he got the message and leaves Caroline the fuck alone.

‘’Yeah of course I did, we’re all finished now right’’ I semi-yell back while walking towards Caroline.

‘’We would be if Sammy didn’t dump all of her freaking flyers in the garbage, I swear to god Elena these new recruits are getting worse every year, I don’t know how I will manage with all these events coming up soon’’ Caroline rants. I now realise why Caroline was beating on the poor girl, sorry Sammy you had to take one for the greater good.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘’Heyy, got you a candle’’ Caroline smiles as she hands me a night of the comet candle. She might get a lot of slack for being a bad friend, but Caroline has been really nice ever since I've taken over Elena’s body. A little self-centered, but then again who isn’t as a teenager, I really hope I spared her a lot of trauma by getting Damon off her path.

Bonnie then lights my candle for me, ‘’Thanks Bon’’ I smile. In the distance I see Matt walking in my direction, I immediately turn around. Matt is not a bad guy or anything, it's just, well, awkward. I never dated the guy, I just randomly ghosted him after Elena’s parents died. To be fair they were gonna break up anyway, but definitely could’ve handled that a better way.

‘’Do you mind lighting my candle?’’ I hear a voice from the left of me say. I see Stefan smiling at me

‘’Of course not’’ I laugh, dipping my candle towards him, the small flame duplication on his candle.

‘’Avoiding anyone?’’ He questions while we continue to walk to a little clearing away from the thick crowd.

‘’Uh ex-boyfriend, we didn’t end on very good terms.’’ I awkwardly stammer, while Stefan listens attentively.

‘’To be honest, I totally ghosted him and now I’m too much of a pussy to talk to him’’ I nervously laugh, Stefan won’t judge me for teenage awkwardness right?

‘’Why did you ghost him?’’ He questions, but thankfully not in an accusing type of way. More out of genuine interest.

‘’Well we had been friends for a long time, tried dating, it wasn't that great. I mean it just didn’t feel..’’ I hesitate

‘’Real?’’ Stefan adds, looking right into my eyes

‘’Yeah, real.’’ I laugh, it didn’t feel real because none of this feels real. I can’t even remember any conversation I’ve had with Matt, why do I have to be the one that stomps on his heart and breaks up. It’s all so unfair, so many open problems that have been thrust upon me without any notice and now I just have to solve all supernatural and personal problems of Elena Gilbert.

‘’I know that feeling, I was with someone a long time ago. And at first everything was perfect, I even wanted to marry her. But than, after a while, I figured out everything she had said, and had pretended to be, was fake.’’ Stefan looks down. Katherine of course, basically assaulted him for what I think was a year, made him sleep with her, fall in love with her, all under compulsion. It must be hard looking at my- Elena’s face after everything.

‘’So did you ghost her after too?’’ I laugh, trying to make the mood a little less depressing.

Stefan raises his gaze towards me again and lets out a small laugh of his own. ‘’ Yeah something like that’’ we smile

‘’Look there it is!’’ Yells some dude behind us. We turn to the sky and look at the big ball of fire diving across the sky. Very pretty for a ball of fire If i say so myself.

‘’So how did it go with Damon’’ I ask, returning my gaze upon Stefan

He sighs, it probably didn’t go well. ‘’I tried to find out what his plans were in Mystic Falls, but..’’

‘’He wouldn’t divulge his evil schemes to you’’ I finish

‘’Yeah, It’s best to stay away from Damon at all times, if you’re worried, call me right away’’ Stefan determinedly says.

‘’Don’t worry I carry vervain pepper spray on me at all times, and I’ve been taking it everyday’’ I return his determined attitude.

‘’Good’’ He smiles, probably at the idea of me stuffing vervain in my deodorant bottle yesterday. ‘’To be extra safe I wanted to give you this’’, Stefan reached into his pockets and pulls out Rebekah Mikaelson's necklace. It really is a gorgeous necklace, a round silver locket with a swirl pattern on top of it, finished with a red stone in the center.

‘’It’s beautiful Stefan, but why are you giving it to me?’’ I question, gotta play a little dumb sometimes.

Stefan motions for me to turn around, I pull my hair to the side. I feel his hands over my collar bone to put on the necklace for me.

‘’It’s filled with vervain, I know you already drink it but I really want to make sure Damon can’t hurt you’’ I turn around to meet his eyes yet again.

‘’Thank you Stefan, that means a lot’’ I smile, which he returns.

Chapter Text

After I find Bonnie and Caroline, we join Tyler and Matt at the Mystic Grill. I haven’t heard a single word about a dark mysterious stranger from Caroline so I think my plan might’ve worked. So far so good, it seems my fucking up the timeline wasn’t so bad after all. No injured Vicky, no abused Caroline. Perhaps I should try to save Tanner, I’m definitely on a roll right now.

‘’Hey, has anyone seen Vicky?’’ Jeremy rushed to our table

‘’You're her stalker, you tell us’’ Tyler sneered, I forgot for a moment that an at least 17 year old Vicky Donovan was hooking up with Elena’s 15 year old brother. Perhaps I should've let her get eaten.

‘’I can’t find her’’ Jeremy splurts out, ignoring the degrading remark of Tyler

‘’Probably found someone else to part with, sorry pill-pusher’’ Tyler has a nasty grin on his face, at least Damon’s grin looks semi-cool.

‘’Pill-pusher?’’ I question, I definitely didn’t remember Jeremy selling drugs, perhaps I should play the part of fake worried sister a little bit better.

‘’Elena I don’t want to fucking do this right now, Vicky is missing’’ Jeremy snarled. Perhaps he can just deal with his own shit then

Jeremy and Tyler get into a dispute about who and when they slept with Vicky and who has a little bit of trouble with consent (spoiler it’s Tyler Lockwood). Wait why is Vicky missing right now? That party in the woods only happens after that carwash thing so that can’t be it.

Ah fuck, Vicky gets taking up the some buildling te be a fun prop between the longest sibling fight in Mystic Falls. Why did Damon target her again? That makes no sense. Well to be honest it’s Damon so I shouldn’t be surprised. But what building were they on again?.. uh.

My train of thought is interrupted by a properly disturbed Matt ‘’Shut the hell up and help me find my sister!’’ Finally Jeremy and Tyler stop having their catfight.

‘’We’ll check the bathroom’’ Bonnie says

‘’I’ll check the square’’ Matt is already on his way out

‘’I’ll come too’’ Jeremy runs after him

‘’I’ll stay with Jer, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.’’ I look at Caroline and Bonnie, who nod and make their way to the girls bathroom.

Of course, I’m not a good sister and I wait a second before I see Matt and Jeremy disappear and take a side street next to the Mystic Grill. I make my way over to the city hall building, in the show, the roof was flat so it can’t be that one. Vampire hearing would be really handy right now. I make my way to a desolate shopping street, in this town only the Grill is open past 10 PM. I try to look up on the buildings, trying to spot something alive other than a few pigeons. Nine buildings down and still nothing.

‘’PLEASE NO’’ I hear a crying voice yell out, no vampire hearing needed for that one, two buildings from the dress shop where I’m currently standing I see some movement up on the roof. I run to the front door, of course locked. I make my way to the side of the building where I spot a shared fire escape between this building and the next and make my way up.

The voices are getting a little clearer now,

‘’Not bad, have you been eating bunnies’’ a snide remark definitely belonging to Damon.

‘’Let her go’’ Oh thank fuck Stefan has also arrived

I peek my head slightly out over the stone rooftop barrier, for a moment I wonder if this really was a smart idea. What do I even have to contribute to this conversation, Vicky doesn’t die here, no one dies here. We’re not at the point where I can do the Elena : ‘This isn’t you Damon’ line. Maybe it’s just better to keep fake looking for Vicky and wait until Stefan does his hero stuff. I put my left leg back on the step behind me to go back down.

‘’You know eavesdropping is rude, Elena’’ a glib voice calls out.

Ah shit,

I hesitantly make my back up again, no point in hiding anymore, but I still want to just jump off this building right now. I step over the stone barrier and make eye contact with Stefan, from his surprised/worried look I’m assuming he didn’t even hear me climb up the stairs. I guess the difference in strength between him and Damon is more than I previously thought.

Damon on the other hand looks pleasantly surprised to see me, Vicky looks like she’s been crying for a while. Looking at her bloody neck I can guess why.

‘’Elena just go, I got it handled’’ Stefan stifly says, while looking like he doesn’t have it all handled

‘’No Elena, stay, I want to show you how well I have the whole vampire secret handled’’ He smirks, turning towards Vicky.

‘’What just attacked you?’’ He harshly says, holding Vicky by her hair, who had fallen onto the ground earlier.

‘’I- I don’t know’’ Vicky stammers, clearly very out of it ‘’A wild animal attacked me’’. He or Stefan definitely had compelled her before I got here.

‘’Really? Because I don’t think it was a wild animal, I think it was a big, bad, vampire that attacked you’’ Damon spits out

‘’Vampire’’ Vicky’s scared look turns more cold, at least she has some balls on her while being held hostage by Damon. Perhaps that is why he liked her enough to turn her.

‘’You! You did this to me!’’ Vicky yells while pointing at Damon. She slowly shuffles in my direction to get away from him.

‘’No-’’ Damon’s grip on her returns ‘’Stefan Salvatore did this to you’’ Damon moves his gaze from Vicky to Stefan, giving him a sly smirk. I faintly hear Vicky repeat Damon’s words, he was compelling her.

Vicky turns around to face Stefan with a horrified look on her face, now it was Stefan's turn for the accusing hand gesture. ‘’You attacked me, you’re a vampire!’’ her shrieking voice was hopefully not heard by Matt and Jeremy searching nearby.

‘’See brother, your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. Munching on the critters in the forest isn’t going to help you right now.’’ Damon has let go of Vicky and walks towards Stefan.

‘’Human blood on the other hand, now that could help you out. I have been so nice to open up Vicky Donovan already, but if I were you I would definitely go for some Elena blood right now.’’ His hungry gaze falls to me, I take a step back until I feel the rooftop barrier hit my calf. I would never make it down fast enough, and at this point I’m really starting to feel sorry again for Vicky.

Stefan finally speaks up, ‘’ So that’s what this is about? You want to expose me, let Mystic Falls know vampires have returned?’’ He speaks quite collected but from the furrowed brows and pained look on his face I can tell he’s having trouble with Vicky’s open neck wound.

‘’No, I want you to remember who you are!’’ Damon, losing his nonchalant demeanor, yells out.

‘’Why!’’ Stefan returns the tone, ‘’So I’’l feed? So I’ll kill? So I’ll remember what it's like to be brothers again, huh?

He continues, ‘’ You know what? Let her go, let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, drive a stake through my heart. Because at least I’ll be free of you’’ He scuffs, his eyes shooting bullets at Damon. While Damon gives a small chuckle out of disbelief or disappointment, not sure which one.

Goddamn

I see Stefan and Damon’s gaze fall to me, both looked beaten down but Damon still wears a layer of sarcasm over it.

Ah shit I said that out loud again

‘’Have anything to add Elena, since you already enjoyed so much of our family dispute’’ Damon grins, but not with as much energy as before.

‘’Just observing, but to me it looks like, if you wanted each other really dead you would’ve outed or staked the other a long while ago.’’ I say slowly, realising of course that this is not the best moment to give two agitated vampires a therapy lesson.

‘’Damon just wants to prolong my suffering, don’t waste your time searching for a shred of emotions on him, Elena.’’ Stefan gives me a pained look, bit hypocritical coming from the guy who wants his brother to have some more humanity more than anything.

‘’Well then outing you to the entire town this fast also really doesn’t fall in line with Damon’s evil plan.’’ I awkwardly laugh, man I really want to get out of here. In the end Damon should just wipe her memory, why can’t he get on with that.

‘’Evil plan?’’ questions Damon while cocking an eyebrow.

‘’Well you’ve probably come back for a reason, Stefan says that small towns bore you otherwise. You compelled Vicky in the first place to keep her from spilling, having Stefan outed as a vampire hurts you probably as much as it hurts him.’’ I retain my eye contact with Damon, although I would so much rather be vampire whooshing of this building with Stefan.

Damon looks pensive, probably thinking of the next zinger to threaten me or Stefan with. He chuckles, this time it appears non-sarcastically. ‘’Well I’ll give you that one Elena, yes my big evil plan would be disrupted if Stefan gets Van Helsinged.’’ he takes a step towards me, and Stefan does the same.

‘’Be sure not to interrupt my plan too, since I can’t compel you and all’’ He smirks playfully, while still fully meaning this as a deathtreat.

Stefan reached out to Damon's arm, wanting to prevent a second victim tonight I suppose.

‘’I told you, you can trust me to not tell anyone. I value my life much more than whatever plan you’re cooking up’’ Finally a little confidence finds its way to my voice.

Damon, smiles, or makes a grin that’s a little less creepy. Not sure if there’s a difference. ‘’Good’’. He spins around, shaking Stefan's grip, and walks towards Vicky. Roughly grabbing her by the chin, forcing her scared eyes to look away from Stefan to him. Then he whispers something in her ear. Something that makes all Vicky’s fear seem to vanish in a second.

‘’Hé where am I’’ Vicky looks around confusingly. Damon ‘’gentlemanly’’ offers her a hand to stand up.

‘’Uh we were looking for you, Jeremy says he couldn’t find you. You okay?’’ I question with a suspicious look on my face. What did Damon compel her to remember exactly?

‘’Oh yeah I took some pills, I think. Shit I hope I didn’t make Matt worry too much’’ She chuckles

‘’We should meet up with them, I think they’re still searching the square.’’ I gesture for Vicky to make her way down the emergency stairs, you can definitely still climb stairs after losing a liter of blood right?

I look at Stefan, ‘’I’ll make sure she gets home ok, take care Stefan’’ I shoot a small smile his way.

Despite the circumstances he returns it, ‘’Take care Elena’’.

‘’Sweet dreams Elena’’ Damon’s nasty voice adds. He shoots a little goodbye wave. Which I meet with a ‘’get fucked dickhead’’ face. I finally step down the stairs and dream of having a bath and perhaps some of Jeremys weed when I get home.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seems like Jenna beat me to it, when I see her going through Jeremy’s room as I make my way towards mine.

‘’Did Jeremy lose something?’’ I say while leaning against the door opening.

‘’Nope, just me, hypocrite patrol’’ she sighs as she closes one of Jeremy’s desk drawers.

‘’Checking for weed?’’

‘’I hope just weed, if he does anything stronger than that, Tanner might actually call CPS on me’’ She walks towards Jeremy’s closet and picks up a shoe. As she shakes it, a bong clinks on the ground. I offer her a sympathetic smile.

‘’Got Tannered huh? I’ve been there.’’ I take a seat on the edge of Jeremy’s bed, not on it. Only God knows what he does there.

‘’Your ass-hat of a teacher shamed me good, like I didn’t already know I was screwing up.’’ She takes a deep breath and pulls a bag of weed out of Jeremy’s sock drawer.

‘’You’re not screwing up Jenna, you’re doing your best’’ Before the whole body switch, I was more around Jenna’s age compared to Elena’s. Can’t imagine myself taking care of two grieving teenagers, Jenna really is doing great.

‘’Yes, Elena, I am. You know why?’’ she turns from the sock drawer to me. ‘’Because I’m not her, she made everything look easy. School, marriage, kids. I can’t do it, I’’l say or do the wrong thing and Jer is gonna get worse, and it will be my fault’’ Jenna rambled.

Jenna takes a seat on the bed, very brave. ‘’ It’s impossible’’ she sighs.

Well I do know a thing or two about not being her, unlike earlier this evening, this is the perfect moment for a little therapy session.

‘’You know, I feel that way too sometimes. I feel like I was a different person before the accident. I’m scared I’ll just push Jeremy further away if I’m always on his case. I feel like before everything, I knew everything to say to him and how to help him.’’ Now it’s Jenna’s turn to give me a sympathetic look.

‘’I think we should just try our best, even if it’s scary. He’s obviously not expressing himself well, and even if it turns out bad, the least we have to do is talk to him about it.’’ I probably should follow my own advice on this matter.

‘’Even if it means turning into a hypocrite patrol’’ I laugh, Jenna laughs too. I help her clean up the explosion that had become Jeremy’s room. Where in the process I find at least three bags of weed, two joints and a whole five more bongs. Kids these days, jezus.

Chapter Text

I’ve never realised how rough Elena’s first weeks back at school were. Grieving her parents, a little brother with a pedofile and drug problem. People in town get murdered pretty often, for example, tomorrow night is some big football game for our school, which Caroline kindly reminded me about—while also threatening me to attend cheerleading practice today. At the end of said game, Tanner gets Damon-ed. Which I’m still not sure I should stop, on one hand, Tanner is a human being and being sucked dry to death doesn’t seem like that much fun. On the other hand, I’ve gotten in Damon’s way enough, I still want to help Lexie, perhaps I should just pick my battles.

Or I could not be lazy about saving lives and I’ll just remove Tanner from the equation. From what I remember Tanner steps out of the lockers rooms towards the back of the school. Unfortunately for him, Damon and Stefan are having their daily brother issues there. It should be easy enough to not make him go out of the back door, ‘’Mr. Tanner the jocks are doing weed’’ or ‘’Mr. Tanner, your football player is about to fight my 15 year old brother over a coke addict’’ should do the trick. God I am just so smart.

‘’Elena, Bonnie’s here for you’’ Jenna yells from downstairs. I grab the copper-coloured jacket hanging on my chair and run downstairs. Making sure to say goodbye to Jenna and grab an energy bar from the kitchen table. Jeremy is still in the phase where he has stopped caring about school, so he’s either in his bed or stalking Vicky.

As I open the front door I come face to face with Bonnie waving from the driver side window of her car. I close the door behind me and jog to the passenger side door and open it.

‘’Hey Bonnie, thanks for giving me a ride again’’ I take a seat and close the door behind me.

‘’Of course Lena, actually I wanted to talk to you about something’’ She hesitates on the last part, witchy troubles again?

‘’Yeah what is it Bonnie?’’ I should probably softly push her to talk to her grandma. How faster she figures everything out, how less freaked out she’ll be in the future.

‘’Well-uh’’ Like a good driver Bonnie’s eyes stay focussed on the road, ‘’It’s about Stefan, are you two already something?’’ She awkwardly chokes out

‘’I mean not really, I think I like him though. Are you interested in him?’’ If she was, I couldn't even blame her, but I don't think her grandma would like it a lot, obviously.

‘’No!’’ She shoots out ‘’Nothing like that, It’s kinda weird but I got a.. weird feeling when I touched him last night’’ Uncertainty lacing her sentence.

‘’I trust you Bonnie, but not seeing Stefan over a feeling is a little far-fetched, don’t you think?’’ Sorry for the gaslighting but the whole ‘He’s a vampire but like Edward in Twilight, so only evil for vegans’ really isn’t something I can say right now.

‘’Listen, I'm not saying don’t date the guy, just take it slow’’ As we arrive at school she makes a left turn to park her car.

‘’Weren’t you the one who has been calling him boytoy for the past week?’’ I smirk while getting out of my seat.

‘’He can still be your boytoy, I just don’t think you need to make it boyfriend that fast’’ She says with a little more amusement in her voice.

I laugh, ‘’You’re starting to sound like Caroline’’

Bonnie chuckles as we make our way to the school entrance.

‘’Morning Elena, Morning Bonnie’’ Speaking of our favorite bunny muncher, Stefan Salvatore appears to our right.

Bonnie's eyes switch from Stefan to mine, looking a little spooked. ‘’Hey, uh, I gotta find Caroline, she’s not answering her phone.’’ She gives an awkward smile and walks off a little bit faster than normal.

Stefan’s brows furrow, ‘’ She, doesn’t like me very much, does she?’’

I cross my arms, ‘’Well she was team Jacob, so that could be it’’ I smile.

I see Stefan laugh at my remark.

‘’Good to know Twilight is still being watched among the vampire population.’’ I add.

‘’Vegan vampire rep makes it really appealing to me.’’ He smiles, but shortly after his smile forms into a worried look. ‘’I wanted to ask you, why did you step in last night? Damon could’ve really hurt you’’

I take a step forward to continue our talk and not be late for history at the same time. ‘’Well I heard Vicky yell, and.. I don’t know. It sounds really stupid but I thought I could help. It feels weird knowing more than 90% of the town and then just stand by while bad things happen.’’ I sigh. Knowing the future is nice and horrible at the same time, perhaps I could’ve stopped all the hitchhiker deaths if I talked to Damon earlier. Or I could’ve gotten my head ripped off by him all the same, knowing what happens in the show can only help me so much, as I continue fucking up the timeline myself.

Stefan offers a sympathetic smile, ‘’It’s not your fault Elena, you shouldn’t put all of Damon’s actions on your shoulders.’’

‘’Maybe you should take your own advice’’ I let out a small chuckle, Stefan’s own soon follows.

‘’Well it’s a little more complicated than that’’ His eyes turn to the ground and his lips tighten into a line.

‘’Vampires having complicated relationships, shocker.’’ I try to lighten the mood, I get a small smile out of Stefan, so I did a great job. ‘’If you want to talk about more than 100 years of complicated brother relationships, I’m here.’’

‘’Well if you ever have a couple days free, let me know’’ Stefan cuckles as his eyes move from the ground to mine.

‘’Well, I happen to be free tonight. Dinner, my house, possibly with Bonnie to make sure my bestie and my..’’ Shit Elena and Stefan get together fast, I’ve barely known the dude for a week. Multiple years if you count how many times I watched the vampire diaries. What are we right now? ‘’..best vampire friend get along’’ I awkwardly drag out.

‘’Best vampire friend?’’ Stefan raises a brow and gives a little smirk, must be a family trait.

‘’Well Damon is not getting the title any time soon’’ I laugh, which is interrupted by a football racing towards Stefan's head.

‘’Stefan’’ I gasp, my eyes moving from Stefan to the projectile probably fired by the biggest dickhead of the Lockwood family.

Stefan turns around uncannily fast, raises his hands and catches the football. He looks at Tyler while raising his hand with the football and then raising his brow. Tyler looks a little dumbfounded that his little prank didn’t work out. Matt, standing next to him looks more mortified and is avoiding my eye contact for once. Stefan takes a step back and harshly throws the football back. Forcing Tyler to take a few steps back when he catches it.

The school bell saves Tyler from prolonging embarrassment.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘’You should definitely try out for the football team with a throw like that’’ I tease while walking with Stefan to our history lesson with our favorite teacher, Tanner.

‘’Yeah, I don’t think so’’ he flatly says as he turns to me and chuckles

‘’Not the football type?’’ I question and look to him

‘’No, I love football, great sport’’ He smiles

‘’So what then? Would your high morals think it’s cheating to play against the little humans?’’ I lower my voice at the last part and nudge him with my elbow. He grunts and fakes being pushed back, then gives me a small smile.

We arrive at the classroom where a whole hour of boredom waits for us, I lean my back on the lockers nearby to continue our conversation and Stefan joins me by leaning his shoulder on the locker next to me.

‘’Well in this case, I don’t think football likes me’’ he cringes, by a miracle Matt just happens to pass behind me while walking into the classroom, I follow Stefan’s gaze to him.

‘’Matt isn’t really like that, you should just get to know the team. They dreadfully suck right now, so you might get all buddy buddy if you win the next game for them.’’ I smile, Matt really is a nice guy, he might not love Stefan right away. I mean who would like the guy your ex-girlfriend is hanging out with, but I don’t doubt that after one conversation Matt will take a liking to Stefan.

I lean my torso towards Stefan ‘’Doesn’t hurt to make any friends besides me.’’ I tease.

Stefan in turn leans his head forward ‘’Says the girl I met at a cemetery’’, he smiles.

Better than in the guys bathroom i suppose, ‘’Point taken, you should still try out though.’’ I press my back off the locker and make my way into the classroom so Tanner doesn’t send me to detention before his class has even started.

‘’I’ll think about it’’ Stefan raises his brows and smirks, trailing behind me.

Chapter Text

After school finishes I walk towards the girls changing room, switching my top and jeans for a black tank top and navy shorts. Time for cheerleading practice, which I have never done before in my life. Bonnie was nice enough to send me a video of their current cheer routine, which I studied harder then my math test. I think I decently got the hang of it, the arm cheers and leg kicks are all simple enough. The stacking on top of eachother was a bit difficult to try at home, especially when Jeremy and Jenna wouldn’t trust me enough to try and salto off their shoulders, rude.

I walk out of the changing room onto the grass patch parallel to the football field. I see about fifteen girls stretching, talking and texting on their phone, Caroline must not have arrived yet.

I spot Bonnie stretching and clear my voice when I walk by her.

‘’Oh my god, you’re here’’ Bonnie smiles and gets up to give me a hug.

‘’Well, I think Caroline would’ve killed me if I missed any more training’’ I laugh, we both move down to start stretching again.

‘’Yeah I think she’s mentioned how important the first game of the season is only about 50 times now’’ Bonnie moves one leg the front and one to the back, very easily falling into a split.

The last time I was limber enough to do a split was in ballet class when I was eight. But Elena's body should be able to do it, right? I copy Bonnie’s previous moves and try to go down.

plop

Jezus fucking christ I almost tore my entire upper leg muscle, I feel the grass on my back when I fall down in defeat.

‘’You’ll get there one day Elena, don’t push it, you haven’t stretched for a long time’’ Bonnie offers a sympathetic smile and extends a hand for me to stand up.

Good to know we have one more thing in common Elena Gilbert, I take Bonnie's hand and she pulls me out of my sad position on the ground.

‘’Well, ignoring that, want to have dinner at my place tonight?’’ I ask

‘’Yeah of course, any special occasion?’’ Bonnie smiles, but it disappears fast enough when I add, ‘’So you and Stefan can get to know eachother better.’’

‘’Can’t tonight.’’Bonnie quickly says before I barely utter the word Stefan.

‘’Come on, this gives you a chance to see if your feeling was right or not’’ I sweetly flutter my eyelashes trying to convince her even more.

She does not look convinced and gives me a deadpan stare. ‘’Please Bonnie for me, I’ll do your science homework for next week’’ I plead while raising my hands pressed together towards her.

‘’Fine I’ll go, I’m taking you up on the homework offer though.’’ A mischievous smile finds a way on her grumpy expression.

I tackle her into a hug, sometimes I really feel like Bonnie is my actual friend. I mean, she’s hung out a lot with me for over a week and hasn’t noticed anything. So it doesn’t really feel like I’m doing anything wrong, in my defense I didn’t choose to steal her bestfriends body. I doubt she’ll react well if she ever finds out though.

My annoying thoughts are broken by Bonnie’s voice.

‘’Have you seen Caroline, I texted her like a hundred times?’’ Bonnie worries

When did I see Caroline last? ‘’I saw her yesterday when we were passing out the flyers, but now you mention it I didn’t see her in English today’’ My brows furrow. Damon was looking at her funny but it would still be a dumb risk to go after Caroline with my warning about vervain.

‘’I’ll try her again, she wouldn’t miss today's training’’ Bonnie reaches for her bag and pulls out her phone.

From behind Bonnie I see an old blue Chevy making its way towards the grass patch we're sitting on. I could recognise that fucking car anywhere, Damon.

‘’Oh fuck’’ I curse, Bonnie puts her phone down and follows my line of sight

‘’That must the mystery guy from the grill’’ She doesn’t look like she approves of Caroline's new boyfriend choice

‘’That’s Damon Salvatore’’, I explain, my words laced with venom.

‘’Salvatore? As in Stefan?’’ Bonnie turns to me again

I hum in agreement, then stand up and make my way towards Caroline, who just made her way out of the Chevy.

As I reach her, she smiles a little too sweet at me, ‘’I got the other brother, hope ya don’t mind.’’ And walks right past me towards the rest of the team.

Bonnie and eye give each other a ‘is she serious right now?’ look, she then turns around to talk to Caroline. I spot a certain annoying vampire who’s watching me through his lowered sunglasses. Fuck it, I make my way to the car.

‘’Hello Elena, cute shorts.’’ His gaze lingers a little too long on my sports shorts for my liking.

‘’Hello Damon, why the fuck are you with Caroline.’’ I spit, resting my hand on the passenger side door of the chevy.

He chuckles, ‘’Don’t get jealous Elena, there's enough of me for all the tasty little cheerleaders.’’

I lean forward, just realising Caroline is wearing a scarf she herself would describe as fugly, ‘’Are you feeding on her?’’ my eyes narrow at him

‘’Well it turns out the other kiddos of the counsel don’t take vervain, huge win for me, not so much for your bubbly blond bestie’’ He smirks and takes off his sunglasses. It could be the sun but I almost see the veins under his eyes become more red.

‘’She’s seventeen Damon, find someone your own age to terrorise’’ I try to keep my voice low but the anger bubbling up right now makes that very hard.

He laughs, ‘’You know you’re cute when your angry Elena, but don’t worry I’m just having some fun waiting for my evil plan to come to fruition.’’

His eyes narrow and he leans forwards towards the passenger door, ‘’But if you care so much about your little friend, you can always help me out with some urges’’ that fucking smirk again.

My heart rate speeds up and I push myself off the car as fast I can, my dry throat searching for a remark to bite back but it comes up empty.

‘’ELENA WE’RE STARTING WITH THE DOUBLE PIKE HURDLER, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!’’ Caroline’s shrill voice shakes me out of my fear. I turn around as fast as I can and make my way to the rest of the team.

I dare turn around once more and see Damon give me a creepy little wave before he drives off. Well atleast cheerleading practice can’t be as scary as that conversation. I did a lot of gymnastics when I was younger so how hard can it be?

‘’Elena watch out!’’ Bonnie has a horrified expression on her face, probably because I’m currently falling off the shoulders of another cheerleader.

Thump

‘’Fuck’’ I mutter lying stomach side down on the damp grass. Turns out gymnastics is a little different than cheerleading.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘’So last night I’m watching 9-0, a commercial comes on. And I’m like, I bet that’s the phone commercial. Sure enough it’s the guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and back, they take a picture-’’

‘’So your new super power is predicting Tv commercials?’’ I interrupt Bonnie. She’s been going on and on about how she has possibly become clairvoyant. Which, yeah, is true, but I’ve gotten a little sick of the topic after hearing it for the past two hours while cooking.

Bonnie sighs, ‘’ I don’t know, I mean for example, today I’m obsessed with numbers, i keep seeing eight, fourteen and twenty two, how weird is that?’’ She cuts the cucumbers with a little more anger than should be used while holding a knife.

I slowly take the knife from her and nudge her to just put the pasta in the bowls in front of us. ‘’Have you talked to your grams about it?’’ I question.

‘’No, she’s just gonna say I’m a witch’’ She sighs, and continues. ‘’I don’t wanna be a witch, do you?’’

I smile, ‘’ I wouldn’t mind it, cool spells, connecting with nature, free cat’’ Bonnies nudges me with her elbow at the cat part.

‘’But in all seriousness, I really think you should just talk to your grams, and whatever she says, you can always talk to me about it’’ I lean my head on her shoulder, and she puts hers on top of mine.

‘’Thanks Lena, I’ll talk to her tomorrow’’ She softly says.

‘’Okay, where are the serving spoons again?’’ I pull my head back and open the drawer in front of me, only dinner spoons, forks and knives.

‘’Middle drawer on your left’’ Bonnie ‘’clairvoyantly’’ predicts

I turn around and open said drawer, ‘’ Ten points to my favorite witch’’ I tease, and pull the serving spoons out of the drawer. Bonnie laughs.

Ding

‘’He’s here, please don’t curse him’’ I make my way past the kitchen island to the hall.

‘’Lena!’’ Bonnie gives me an annoyed look.

‘’I promise that's the last joke’’ I hold my hand up and cross my fingers in the air. Then I turn around to unlock the front door.

‘’Hey Elena’’ My best vampire friend greets me at the door with a soft smile.

‘’Hey Stefan, please come in’’ I see him hesitate a bit before moving his foot over the door frame.

‘’I see the whole needing an invite in is not fiction?’’ I laugh, Stefan closes the door behind him and turns around to meet my gaze.

‘’Yeah, I hope you're not uncomfortable with me having one now’’ He softly says.

‘’Well I don’t have any pets so I think I’ll be fine.’’ I tease, his eyes light up and his previous smile finds a way back on his face. I nudge my head towards the dining room.

‘’Come on, me and Bonnie worked hard, lets not let it get cold’’ I make my way back to the kitchen

‘’I wouldn’t dare’’ He chuckles, and follows behind me.

I make eye contact with Bonnie when I enter the dining room, I offer her a thumbs up. Stefan’s suave vampire charm will have them bonding in no time.

I gesture to the dining table, ‘’Please sit down, I’ll get the food’’. I turn around to get the pasta and salad bowls.

When I look at the supernaturals again they’re sitting on the complete opposite of the table. I cringe a bit as I put the bowls down and take my seat in one of the chairs between them.

‘’It looks great’’ Stefan remarks as he puts some food on his plate. I wonder how much vampires can still taste, they ate a lot of food on the show, but not regular meals. I’d hate to never taste a good pizza fully again, that would definitely be worse than having to suck blood for a living.

‘’Thanks, to be honest Bonnie did most of the work, she’s a great cook’’ I smile at Bonnie. No response but an awkward stare from Bonnie, who then continues looking at her food. It’s good, but not that fucking good.

Stefan notices my deadpan stare and thankfully contributes to the conversation, ‘’Well I took your advice, after some convincing Tanner let me join the team.’’ he tries to look at Bonnie to have her join the conversation, unfortunately he has no luck. Come on Bonnie, I know not all witches hate vampires, try to get over the stereotype.

I chuckle, ‘’Tyler must’ve loved that, have you heard Bonnie?’’ She looks up, a step in the right direction, I continue ‘’Before school he tried to throw a football right at Stef-’’

"Yeah, I've heard.’’ Bonnie interrupts and looks very interested in her food again. Goddamn girl, you later date a vampire yourself, I'm definitely giving you a hard time then.

‘’Well Bonnie, why don’t you tell Stefan about your family, the witch thing I mean.’’ I waggle my eyebrows to give her the hint to speak up a little.

‘’It’s not that interesting’’ She awkwardly mutters, she did not get the fucking hint.

‘’Well, I’m not too versed but I do know that there’s a history of celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800’s’’ THANK YOU STEFAN FOR GIVING MORE THAN A SENTENCE TO THIS CONVERSATION.

‘’My family came by way of Salem.’’ Bonnie sits up a little straighter, perhaps she likes talking about the whole witch thing then she realises.

They thankfully talk a little while about Bonnie’s heritage, Stefan must’ve known a lot of witches over the years. Now it’s finally time for me to enjoy my meal since that awkward mood has dissipated. I put some pasta on my fork and finally I can taste the cheese sauce I worked so hard on.

Ding

Who the fuck is that, I put my fork back in defeat. I gesture to Bonnie and Stefan that I’ll get it. They seem to be very engaged in their current topic about how witches are nonconformant, or something, I wasn’t paying that much attention.

Perhaps Jeremy gets home at a decent time now that Vicky’s story went a little different, maybe Jenna wanted a good home cooked meal for once and came home early from University.

I unlock the door and come face to face with the bouncy blond hair of Elena’s bestie Caroline. Who greets me with raised brows and a sickly sweet smile.

"Surprise!"

Chapter Text

Caroline would’ve been a nice surprise, since she is the queen of keeping a conversation going, even if she’s the only one talking. But the tall dark and psychotic vampire towering behind her isn’t one.

‘’Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert.’’ Caroline smiles as she hands me, in their defence, a very tasty looking strawberry cake.

‘’Hope you don’t mind.’’ The heavy voice of Damon sounds from behind Caroline.

My hard stare towards Damon drifts to something moving behind me, Stefan has made his way over from the dining room, ‘’What are you doing here?’’ he spits towards Damon.

Can’t curse Damon out for being a piece of shit bloodsucker with Caroline standing next to me, ‘’ Hé Care, why don’t you join Bonnie, she’ll be really happy you’re here.’’ I try my best to still sound nice while standing 1 meter removed from the local serial killer.

‘’Aww of course", Caroline makes her way down the hall and my face darkens again when I turn around.

‘’Well I’m waiting for Elena to invite me in.’’ Damon lowers his gaze to me, smirking. Yeah that might have worked if I wasn’t vampire expert #1 right now.

I chuckle, ‘’Wow, do you really think I’m that stupid?’’ I cock my head and raise my eyebrows.

Damon rests his arms on the outside door frame, ‘’No, but your little brother certainly was.’’ He laughs as his foot passes over the door threshold.

I give Stefan a horrified look, but it’s too late. Damon walks past me and stops at some family photos hanging on the side of the stairs, staring at a particular one with Elena in her cheerleading outfit. He turns around and gives me and Stefan a smug smile, ‘’You have a beautiful home, Elena.’’

I scoff in disbelief, fuck I should’ve given Jeremy some vervain. In my defence there was no goddamn reason, at least until Katherine shows up, to give Jeremy vervain. Damon only compelled him when Elena asked him to, keeping him off vervain made compelling him over Vicky still a usable option. Guess it’s time to sneak vervain into the families coffee supply.

I turn to Stefan, a bewildered expression on my face, ‘’What do we do now?’’

Stefan also doesn’t seem to take the news of Damon having an invitation well. His brows are furrowed in a pained expression, ‘’I should’ve watched him better, I’m so sorry Elena.’’

I put my hand on his shoulder, ‘’No I should’ve given Jeremy some vervain, but it’s fine, I’ve got some vervain water in the cabinet, should Damon try something.’’ I give a reassuring smile. Stefan lights up a little, ‘’I’ll stay close tonight to make sure he doesn’t try anything while your sleeping.’’ Stefan’s serious look is pretty cute.

‘’Thanks Stefan, well let’s hope this night doesn’t turn into a total shitshow.’’ I scoff as we make our way back to the dining room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘’I cannot believe Mr. Tanner let you on the team.’’ Caroline laughs as she shakes her head. ‘’Tyler must be seething, but good for you, go for it’’

We finished up dinner pretty quickly and moved to the living room for dessert. Me and Stefan took the big couch, on our left is Bonnie in Elena’s dad’s old comforter. Looking even more uncomfortable than before, this time I can’t really blame her. Damon and Caroline are sharing the old chestnut chair on my right. It’s only made for one person, so Caroline is half sitting on the chair and half sitting on Damon. Which she probably wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t mind controlling her into being his daily snack.

‘’That’s what I always tell him, you have to engage. You can’t sit there and wait for life to come, you have to go get it.’’ Damon profoundly adds while giving a demeaning look to Stefan.

‘’Yeah Elena wasn’t so lucky today.’’ Caroline turns from Damon to me, ‘’ But that’s only because you missed summer camp.’’ her eyes go down as she gets a troubled look on her face. I wonder what profound thoughts she can be thinking.

‘’I don’t know how you’re ever gonna get it. You can’t faceplant like that during our routine.’’ She laughs again, and fuck you too Caroline.

‘’I’ll work with her, she’ll get it.’’ Bonnie chimes in, I’m starting to see why Bonnie was the favorite friend the whole show.

‘’I guess we can put her in the back.’’ Caroline thinks out loud, or just doesn’t give a shit about being rude. I give her a nasty side eye, which seems to fly over her head.

‘’You know, you don’t seem like the cheerleading type, Elena.’’ Damon says, faking interest. Like he knows shit about me, at least Stefan can claim to know me through all the stalking he’s done. The only thing Damon should know about me is how much I want to spray vervain in his stupid, smirking face. Can’t say that out loud though, what other non-vampire related things can I say…?

Before my brain can come up with a great comeback Caroline chimes in again, ‘’ Oh, it’s just because her parents died.’’ Jezus fucking christ man, I didn’t even know them and I feel offended. ‘’She’s just going through a total blah phase, she used to be way more fun.’’ Caroline giggles.

Remembering that for when you become an orphan Caroline. But damn were Caroline and Elena even friends? I wouldn’t even say that to my worst enemy,.. maybe to Damon. Speaking of, even Damon raises a shocked eyebrow at Caroline’s recent remarks.

My previous nasty side eye is now replaced by a full on disgusted look at Caroline, one which I see Bonnie next to me share. My expression disappears when I feel a hand moving on top of mine, I turn my head and see Stefan give me a sympathetic smile. My hatred disappears a little and I give him a small smile back.

Caroline, looking at the various expressions around her, has now realised that she had perhaps crossed a line.’’ And I say that with complete sensitivity..’’ She awkwardly raises the corners of her mouth to me, almost like she’s saying, ‘oops didn’t mean to say you suck at cheerleading and you’re a loser because your family died’.

‘’I’m sorry Elena, I know what it’s like to lose both of your parents.’’ I can't believe I’m glad that Damon is the one to end the awkwardness that hangs in the air. I also can’t believe that I do feel a bit bad for Damon when he mentions his parents. Their mom just left them, to become a vampire? I did not watch the last seasons that much, so I honestly have no clue where she even is right now and what brought her back to Mystic Falls. And then their dad, Guiseppe, a horrible abusive asshole that actually shot his own kids. I wouldn’t be surprised if Damon had become a serial killer, not because of vampirism, but because of that horrible upbringing.

Damon continues, interrupting my thoughts, ‘’ Infact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.’’ A weird sympathetic look finds its way onto my face, more for Stefan of course.

‘’We don’t need to get into that right now’’ Stefan interrupts and gives a stern look towards Damon.

‘’Oh you’re right Stef, I’m sorry. Last thing I wanted to was bring her up.’’ Damon laughs

Stefan turns his head away, Katherine obviously, good for Stefan that I’m already up to date about his shitty ex assaulter. I take his hand that’s laying on top of mine and give it a reassuring squeeze. I feel a soft squeeze back, as I look from my hands back to Damon I don’t see the all too familiar smirk but a very unamused look. How sad that his little plan didn’t work out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally this shitty night is almost over, I put the plates and glasses into the dishwasher. I throw the dishwasher pod in, and close the lid.

‘’Oh wait, I’ve got one more.’’ I hear a very familiar annoying voice call from behind me. I turn around and see Damon holding the desert plate out for me, I snatch it a little faster then would be polite and put it with the rest of the plates.

I’d hoped Damon would fuck off after that, but unfortunately for me, he remains standing creeply behind me. Fine, I’ll play ball.

‘’So earlier who were you talking about when you said, you didn’t want to bring her up?’’ I say as I turn around to face him again.

‘’Katherine, a woman from mine and Stefans past.’’ He looks at me, waiting for my next question

‘’Was she a vampire?’’ I raise my brow, and fold my hands over each other. I should ask as much as possible, so I don’t slip up on information in the future.

Damon reminiscently smiles, ‘’Yes, she was a vampire, the very one that turned me and Stefan in fact.’’

‘’How did she die?’’ I try not to put too much spite in my voice.

‘’In a fire, tragic fire.’’ Damon looks down, it is sad how much he cares for a woman that couldn’t give a single shit about him.

‘’Did she get hunted?’’ I question, a normal vampire would obviously just run out of a burning building.

‘’Yes, by your ancestors in fact.’’ His eyes become a little darker. ’’And mine too to be fair.’’ he adds

I raise my eyebrows, if only Elena’s ancestor was a little better at his job, then I wouldn’t have to deal with Katherine in a few months. ‘’Well I always wondered how my parents came to know about the supernatural, having some ancestors playing Van Helsing explains that.’’

I continue, ‘’What was Kathrine like?’’ A selfish bitch, a manipulator, a cunt, a shitty mother and very entertaining to watch.

I see Damon contemplate for a while, his eyes looking to the ground. ‘’She was beautiful,’’ His eyes come back up to meet mine, ‘’A lot like you in that department.’’ he smiles, a little more human like than normal. He gets a chuckle out of me.

‘’She was also very complicated and selfish, and at times not very kind.. but very sexy and seductive.’’ He raises his eyebrows and leans back on the kitchen counter top.

‘’So, which one of you dated her first? Since she turned both of you and all.’’ I give him a sly look, although deep down I know all of the fucked up shit she did to the both of them. Damon deserves a little sympathy, but just a little.

‘’Very observant, ask Stefan, I’m sure his answer differs from mine.’’ He looks a little sad while saying that. Fucking up your brotherly bond for a girl, after the compelling went away is a little dumb in my opinion.

‘’So is that the reason you and Stefan hate each other, a girl got between you?’’ for once I’m asking a question where I genuinely want to know Damons answer.

‘’Well, It’s a little more complicated than that, Katherine was something.. special. I’ve never met a girl like her before, I suppose it was the same for Stef.’’ Ah even when Damon is getting emotional he still tries to fuck up Stefans life a bit. I gotta admit that is dedication.

‘’More than a hundred years is not enough to get over her?’’ I ask while looking him in the eye.

A small smile appears on his face while his gaze stays on me, ‘’ Not nearly’’.

My eyebrows furrow in a sympathetic look, ‘’Well I hope you find someone to fill that empty space for you soon.’’

His smile turns into his signature smirk, ‘’Now don’t get all sentimental on me Elena, you might forget I’m the big bad evil vampire, terrorizing the town.’’

My sympathetic look also returns to my usual nasty glare when I see Damon, ‘’How could I forget when my friend over there is wearing a suspiciously out of season scarf’’ I widen my eyes and give him a sarcastic surprised look while nodding my head towards the living room.

Damon chuckles, ‘’ I wouldn’t call her much of a friend, the whole ride here she was going on and on about how poor Elena will never catch up to the cheer squad.’’ He uses a high pitched girly voice to resemble Caroline on the word cheer squad.

I sigh, god I’m not looking forward to the game tomorrow, I tried practicing more with Bonnie after I fell on my face. But after my fifth fall Bonnie insisted that I should take a break for my, and everyone else's safety. Which is bullshit because I only fell on Sammy two times.

Chapter Text

After a good night's rest without my arch nemesis in my house, It’s time to get dressed for the day. Since it is Saturday, today’s outfit will be a plaid navy pair of Elena’s joggers matched with an oversized hoodie, that I pray did not previously belong to Matt. Whilst searching Elena’s closet I pull out her, or now mine, cheerleading outfit. Today I have to cheer for the entire school, a cheer routine that I suck at, even with the kind help from Bonnie. I think back to what Caroline said last night, I don’t know how you’re ever gonna get it, her high pitched voice getting on my nerves when she isn’t even here. See, Elena quit before the big game, I really want to fucking quit. I probably should quit, I can’t cheer for shit.

But Caroline is not getting that satisfaction, to be honest even if I fuck up that will just annoy Caroline more. A win, win situation if you ask me. While I hold my cheerleading top in my left hand, I reach for the phone on the dresser next to me.

’Hey Lena, what’s up?’’ Bonnie’s warm voice emits from my phone.

‘’You mind practicing the moves for tonight with me, again?’’ I awkwardly ask, Bonnie spent most of her time last practise on helping me out. I hope this doesn’t take away from her performance tonight, she seems to really enjoy cheerleading. And is probably the most flexible on the team, seeing how effortlessly she can pull off a split.

‘’Yeah of course, meet me at school in about an hour and a half? I’m just finishing up breakfast with Grams.’’ She explains, I hear the rattling of what I think is a coffee machine in the background.

Great, some time to get everything right while Caroline isn’t staring at me with those judgy little eyes, should do the trick. ‘’Thank you so much Bon, say hi to your Grams for me’’ I smile and after a goodbye from Bonnie I hang up the phone. I wonder if she has had the talk with her Grams already?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spoiler alert, she didn't. During our practice she explained that she just needed a little time to figure out if she was even clairvoyant, no need to have unnecessary stressful conversations if she was just imagining everything. I agreed that she should wait until she was comfortable to have the conversation. I do feel a bit bad about ruining an opportunity for Bonnie to accept her powers. Seeing as she isn’t predicting any death tonight, if everything goes to plan, which it definitely will.

After me and Bonnie had spent some time practicing the moves for tonight we decided to leave at noon and meet up again around 5 pm in time for the pre-game cheerleading meeting to start.

Currently I’m trying to look for Bonnie in a crowd of red shirts, in support of our team of course. Back when I was in high school I never saw anyone take matches from our school seriously. But about eighty percent of our school is lounging about the grass field in front of our school, waiting for the match to begin. And there is a very creepy wooden fire pile with a puppet of the enemy's team jersey on it. Americans really like their high school football I guess.

At this point I’m ready to give up and wait for Bonnie with the rest of the cheerleaders,

‘’Hey Elena, you look great.’’ I hear a voice from behind me compliment. When I turn around it happens to be a certain vegan vampire. He’s dressed in our school's football jersey, number seventeen. Bit ironic since he has been seventeen for about 170 years, the jersey is tight enough to show off some of his muscles. I wonder if you can get more muscly when turning into a vampire, or if he already looked like this when he was actually seventeen.

‘’Well look at you, the jersey looks good on you.’’ I smile, hoping he hadn’t noticed my eyes lingering on his body. ‘’Well our team might actually win for once now, Tyler should be thanking you.’’ I joke while crossing my arms.

He chuckles, ‘’I do still feel a little like it’s cheating for me to play.’’ he scratches his head and gives a nervous smile.

‘’Well I heard from Caroline that the enemy quarterback is doing steroids, so you’re just evening it out.’’ I give a sly smile.

I see his eyes move over my cheerleading outfit, a bit out of character Stefan. But I can’t blame him, Elena’s body is something I wished for everyday while watching TVD.

‘’It’s good that you didn’t let Caroline get to you, you’ll do great tonight.’’Stefan gives me a supportive smile. Of course sweet little Stefan was just thinking about how I felt about tonight.

I give a small scoff when I remember Caroline’s very unsupportive words from last night. ‘’Well, Bonnie was nice enough to practice with me today, so I’m pretty sure I won’t fall on anyone this time’’ I awkwardly chuckle, to be honest I think there is about a twenty percent chance I will fall on Sammy, again.

I continue, ‘’But if I do fall, you’ll just have to play twice as good to distract people from my failure.’’ I nod while giving a little smirk Stefans way.

He laughs, ‘’Don’t worry, if I have to, I’ll throw the ball at Tanner as a distraction.’’ Stefan nudges his head to the field, ‘’Should we go, I don’t think Tanner and Caroline will like it if we are late.’’

‘’Yeah let’s go.’’ I nod, we walk together until I spot Caroline furiously waving for me to come over. I suppose to give one last lecture to not screw up. I turn to Stefan and smile, ‘’Goodluck tonight, I’ll be cheering for you.’’.

He returns my smile, his eyes giving me soft look, ‘’Thank you Elena, I’ll do the same for you.’’

The loud cheering of the crowd rings in my ears as the wooden pyre is being lit. I’d say it’s a little over the top to go all bananas over a burning totem resembling the enemy team in a high school football game, but that's definitely the European in me.

The entire school is standing in a half circle with Tanner on a stage in the center. The football players are standing on his left, while me and the rest of the cheer squad are on his right. Tanner taps on the microphone to try and start his pep talk before the game.

‘’Wait, wait, wait.’’ Tanner shushes the crowd, a flashback to his history lessons. The people jumping up and down with their signs ‘beat the lions’, finally calm down and the overwhelming chattering dies down a bit.

‘’Let’s be honest here. In the past we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!’’ Mr. Tanner must be enjoying this, overemphasizing every word and swinging his arms around. Almost like a war general instructing his soldiers on why they should give their life for the next battle.

The crowd's boo’s are heard when they’re reminded of how much their team used to suck. I look towards the football players, Tyler is looking like a bratty little kid that didn’t get his way. Probably mad that Stefan beats all their asses with no effort, a little unfair, but Tyler is a dick so, it doesn’t really matter that much. The other guys on the team look pretty stoked, perhaps happy that they might finally win a game. I try to look over Matt as fast as possible, but I still notice the pining look he is giving me. I pretend I don’t notice, very adult obviously. I then find Stefans gaze, I give him a little smile and a raised brow, to poke a little fun at the riled up crowd. He gives me a little smirk in response, I still feel Matt’s very intense stare pointed at me, I focus my thoughts on Tanner's speech again.

Tanner raises his index finger in the air, trying to shush the crowd again. ‘’But that's about to change!’’ the crowd resumes their loud cheering. Tanner continues, ‘’We’ve got some great new talent tonight starting on offence, and I’m going to tell you right now. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a kid with hands like these.’’ Tanner points towards Stefan. Very impressive that Stefan has made it from the Tanner hit list to possibly the only student Tanner actually likes.

The crowd gets rowdy again after Tanner praises Stefan, ‘’Let’s give it up for Stefan Salvatore.’’ Tanner finishes. The footballers next to Stefan shake his shoulder in excitement, Stefan smiles at the guys next to him. Then his eyes find mine again, ‘’Wow, look who made some friends beside cemetery girl.’’ I barely hear my voice over the harsh noise of the people behind me, but I see Stefan chuckle, vampire hearing wins again. I then see Stefan look down towards his side and pull out his phone, did something happen with Damon? From my memory Tanner really was the only victim tonight, but from all the shit I changed he could’ve ripped Zach’s head off right now. My brow furrows while I go through all the worst possibilities, then I feel my phone buzz in the tiny pocket of my cheerleading bottom. Good thing phones are still small now, because my new Samsung would not have fit in there. I take my phone out to see that I had gotten a message from Stefan.

Stefan㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ

I’d take cemetery girl over rowdy football guys any day

I laugh and shake my head, my gaze making it back to Stefan who continues to softly smile at me. A funny contrast from the guys around him, hyping eachother up for the upcoming game. I look down at my phone to type a response,

Yeah I don’t think they would look this great in a cheerleading uniform :P

When I look up again, I see Stefan read my message and chuckle. When he looks back at me I see him mouth the word ‘no’, while he shakes his head.

I tuned out the rest of Tanner’s speech, something about ‘we’re gonna eat the other team' or something, a bit ironic if you ask me. But when the crowd's perpetual cheering dies down to complete silence, my attention is peeked.

‘’Stop, you’re hurting him!’’ Vicky’s desperate voice calls out over the silence. I turn around to find Tyler crouching over Jeremy, giving him some nasty blows to the face. I see Stefan run ahead of me towards the scene, I follow hot on his tail.

I see Stefan grab hold of Tylers underarm, to prevent his next punch from landing on Jeremy. Tyler stands up and pulls his free hand back to throw a blow towards Stefans stomach, Tyler's face morphs into disbelief as it obviously does not affect Stefan in the slightest.

I run towards Jeremy and kneel next to him, I push his hair out of his face, definitely a black eye, combined with a small drop of red blood coming out of his nose. ‘’Jeremy are you ok?’’ I scrambled out, he still seems to be conscious, thank god.

I see Jeremy’s head turn away from me, towards Vicky? No towards the fucking broken bottle on the ground next to him. Before I can stop him, he stretches his arm out to grab the bottle neck, ‘’Jeremy stop!’’ I yell and jump on his arm before he commits a homicide in front of the whole school.

I roll over his stretched out arm and feel a sting right across my upper left arm. I sit up quickly and hear the glass bottle hit the grass. Jeremy looks at me frightened, ‘’Elena I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.’’ His eyes go to my shoulder, fuck, a pretty big gash goes from to top of my bicep to my shoulder. Not too deep, no muscle in sight. Hurts like a bitch though, I turn to Stefan, who looks at me with a pained expression. The whites of his eyes turn to the color of my wound, he can’t handle it. ‘’Go.’’ I mouth and raise my brows, I see Stefan contemplate. His eyes go from mine to my wound, then he decides to quickly leave towards the car park.

‘’Elena, let me see it.’’ I turn to my left and see Matt crouching next to me. I lift my arm up to him, ‘’Just a surface wound, nothing too bad.’’ I give an awkward smile. Even though I was so childish to him, Matt is still trying to help me.

Matt turns toward Vicky, ‘’Vick, go get the first aid kit.’’, She nods ‘’I got it.’’ Vicky sprints towards the school entrance. Didn’t know she cared so much, I look back at Matt. He smiles, ‘’Don’t worry, I know how to do first aid.’’ He offers his hand to my uninjured one for support.

‘’Thanks Matt.’’ I smile, accept his hand and give it a small squeeze in appreciation.
After Vicky returned with the first aid kit, Matt cleaned my wound and wrapped it tight in gauze. Jeremy was sulking around in the background, every once in a while he would mutter another apology. Eventually he and Vicky left together, leaving me and Matt alone together.

Well It’s time to be an actual adult and talk about ‘’my feelings’’. While Matt is still checking if my bandage is tied correctly I clear my throat, Matt’s eyes meet mine.

‘’Uh Matt, again thank you, for the bandages and stuff.’’ I press my lips in a thin line, god this is nerve racking.

‘’Yeah of course Elena, I couldn’t just leave you bleeding out.’’ He chuckles, perhaps a slight dig at Stefan?

‘’I think we should talk about the whole situation?’’ I push out, can’t break eye contact, I’m not that much of a pussy.

‘’Situation?’’ Matt raises a brow, yeah ok fair I should be clear for once. Matt isn’t the person who ghosted their partner over the summer. ‘’I shouldn’t have ghosted you, you deserve a proper conversation Matt.’’ I shoot a symptomatic look towards Matt.

‘’Elena, really It’s ok, you had all the stuff with your parents and-’’ Matt is really too sweet, especially since I didn’t even know the Gilberts for more than one conversation.

‘’No Matt, you’ve been so nice and I had no excuse to leave you so long without answers.’’ I cut Matt off, time to make it clear to Matt that he shouldn’t pine for Elena, me, I guess. He should be with someone who wants to spend all their time on him, I can’t be that person. Not only don’t I have any feelings for him, pulling him into supernatural drama would only fuck up his life even more.
‘’I don’t think we work as a couple, you’re such a good friend and I’m so glad I know you. But I don’t have any romantic feelings for you, and you deserve someone that does.’’ A bit harsh perhaps, but I can’t beat around the bush anymore.

Matt gives me a pained expression, almost like the one Stefan had on earlier when he saw my blood. I feel like shit for hurting him, but stringing him along is even worse. He sighs, ‘’Do you feel something for Stefan?’’

I look down into my lap, ‘’I don’t know, I like being around him.’’ I mean I find Stefan attractive, but I can’t fall in love with someone that fast. And the fact that I stole his epic love’s body doesn’t really help either. I look up and meet his gaze again, ‘’But Stefan isn’t the reason I’m breaking up with you Matt, sometimes things just don’t work out. I hope we can still be friends after this, but I understand if you want some space.’’ I offer a small smile at him.

Thankfully, he sends one back, ‘’ Of course Elena, we’ll always be friends.’’

I sit up more straight and pull Matt into a hug, god I’m glad this conversation is over.

Chapter Text

After Matt and I have said our goodbyes, I make my way over to the rest of the cheerleaders , can’t make him late for the big game after all. The girls are all standing in front of the huge football field, holding a banner with ‘Go Timberwolves!’ on it.

‘’Tiki, it’s all wobbly.’’ I hear a familiar cheer captain complain, while walking in front of me towards the banner. ‘’ Tiki, can you stand a little straighter, please?’’ She throws her arm up in annoyance, while looking at the dark skinned girl holding the left side of the banner. In her defence, Tiki really was fucking it up. Caroline’s gaze goes towards the other girls standing next to Tiki, ‘’Could someone please help Tiki?’’ Caroline stresses. At the same time, I finally arrive at the group of cheerleaders.

Bonnie spots me first, ‘’Hé Elena how are you doing? I wanted to go check out what happened with Jeremy, but we got pulled along by Caroline to practice here.’’ She gives Caroline a nasty side eye.

I chuckle, typical Caroline. ‘’All good, my shoulder hurts a little though.’’ I whip my injured arm out in front of her. ‘’Damn Lena, that's a big bandage, are you sure you can cheer tonight?’’ Bonnie looks over Matt’s bandage job with a worried look.

I smile to calm down Bonnie’s nerves, ‘’After all that practicing, I’d still cheer with two broken legs.’’ I joke. Bonnie laughs at me and looks a little less like an overbearing mother.

‘’Elena, where were you! We couldn’t practice about half of the routine because you weren’t here.’’ Caroline makes her way over to me and Bonnie, she has her hand on her hips with her pom poms sticking out. A pouty, angry look plastered all over her face.

I give a deadpan look and turn my injured arm into Caroline’s sight. ‘’Jeremy and Tyler had a fight, I had to step in.’’

‘’Oh my god, Elena!’’ Caroline exclaimed and grabbed my under arm, which still hurt the injured part. I swallow the urge to cry out.

‘’It’s nothing too bad Caroline, we still have time to do our routines before the game begins’’ I grunt as I shake my arm out of her iron grip.

Caroline gives me a shocked look, ‘’Elena, you have a massive wound on your shoulder and you still want to cheer, you obviously can’t!’’ She exclaimed while shaking her head. Yeah obviously Caroline found a way for me not to cheer again, she should just kick me off the team at this point.

I scoff, ‘’Caroline, I know you think that I suck at cheerleading, but don’t use my wound as an excuse to throw me out.’’ my eyes find anywhere else to look then Caroline’s face, god I can’t deal with this shit on top of all my supernatural problems.

‘’Elena.’’ I hear Caroline softly call out, I look back at her face, which now has a sad pouty look instead of an angry one. She continues, ‘’I don’t think you suck at cheerleading.’’ I raise my eyebrows and give her an ‘oh really?’ look.

‘’Yeah okay, I might’ve said you weren’t the best at cheerleading. But I really don’t think you suck, I was just annoyed that you ditched the entire cheer summer camp. I mean we always used to go together, and spend hours on learning new moves, watching movies and just hanging out. I feel like we haven’t done anything like that in ages.’’ Caroline rants, her hands moving along expressly.

I’ve never thought about how much Elena’s friends might miss her, I talk a lot to Bonnie I guess. But we don’t really hang out after school, same goes for Caroline. I’ve never been a very sociable person, so it honestly didn’t even cross my mind to hang out with them outside of the plotline. But Elena was a very sociable person, perhaps not so much after her parents death, but Bonnie and Caroline don’t know that. How Caroline acted was very childish though, Bonnie has never been nasty for not hanging out as much as before. But then again Caroline is a child, and I’m not, so unfortunately it’s time for my least favorite activity in the world. Being the bigger person.

‘’I’m sorry Caroline, It’s been hard recently. But I shouldn’t have just neglected you out of nowhere. I just haven’t been feeling like myself lately and I was worried that you wouldn’t like me anymore if you noticed I had changed.’’ I sigh, it is true. It’s easier to avoid Elena’s friends than to pretend I’m her day in and day out.

‘’Elena.’’ Caroline emotionally chokes out my name, I see the water rising up in her light blue eyes. Her pom poms fall on the ground and she dives into me for a hug. ‘’Elena, you’re my best friend. Even if you change so much that you hate cheerleading and shopping and watching sappy romance movies together, you’d still be my best friend.’’ Fuck now I’m tearing up a little. I pull Caroline tighter to me, ‘’Thank you Care, that means a lot.’’ I let out a small sob. ‘’Don’t cry, If you start crying I’ll do it even more, and I just touched up my mascara.’’ Caroline whines, in a sweet way, while I let out a chuckle.

We pull away from each other and smile, then I see a small tear about to ruin Caroline’s mascara. I stretch out my arm and thankfully wipe it away in time. ‘’Thanks Elena, but as your best friend I still say you shouldn’t cheer tonight.’’ Caroline stressed while raising her eyebrows.

My face falls a little, ‘’Not because I think you’re bad at cheerleading!’’ Caroline quickly adds, probably in response to my expression. ‘’You only just got hurt, you shouldn’t push yourself over some stupid game.’’

‘’Stupid game?’’ I cock my head in surprise. Caroline has been on all our asses about how important the first game of the season is.

Caroline gives me a confident smile, ‘’Elena I’d rather we lose all our games, ever, than see you get a broken arm or something while cheering.’’

I chuckle, ‘’Thanks Care, I’ll be cheering you all on from the stands then.’’

After giving Caroline and Bonnie some final encouragement, I changed into jeans and a jumper in the locker room. Then I made my way towards the parking lot, to drop my cheerleading uniform off.

I lift open the trunk of my car and throw the cheerleading uniform in. It would be awkward sitting in the stands with it in my lap. Caroline and Bonnie stressed that it isn’t bad to take it easy and skip this performance, but I’m not in the mood for unwanted judgy stares.

My hand grips the top of the tailgate to pull it down and make my way back to my friends. Then I feel an unnatural strong wind fly past my back, ‘’Stefan?’’ I ask hopefully as I turn around.

‘’Even better, me ’’ Damon’s cocky smirk sends disgust down my spine. My hand slowly goes over my back pocket, thank god I didn’t forget my vervain pepper spray.

‘’What do you want, Damon.’’ I ask, venom dripping from my voice.

He leans forwards and puts his hand next to his mouth, ‘’I’m hiding from Caroline, I need a break’’ He whispers.

I try to push myself closer to my car to create distance. An annoyed brow shoots up on my face, ‘’Oh poor you,’’ I fake a sad pout, ‘’only if you listened to me when I said you should stay the fuck away from her’’.

He chuckles, thankfully backing up a little, ‘’Your point was that blondie would be full of vervain, not full of meaningless chatter.’’

‘’Well you can always find another bloodbag, preferably one from the hospital and not my school’’ I smile sarcastically while crossing my arms.

He takes a step forward again, looking down into my eyes, ‘’My previous offer still stands, if you’re interested?’’ he purrs.

Previous offer? Oh yeah when I failed to threaten him to stay away from Caroline at cheerleading practice yesterday. He’d leave Caroline alone if I helped him with some urges, gross. Love you Care, I’ll make sure he leaves you alone but I’m not that self sacrificing.

‘’Hard pass.’’ shoots out as fast as Damon finishes his sentence. His brown furrow whilst he feigns a sad look. ‘’So have you come to support Stefan tonight?’’ I hurry to change the subject.

‘’Actually, I was really looking forward to seeing you in your perky little cheerleading outfit.’’ His eyes scan over my body, his eyes looking a little too hungry for my liking. ‘’But I’m assuming that delicious smelling wound has something to do with the change in plans?’’ His eyes finish scanning my body and focus on the bandage on my arm.

Fuck, let’s hope Damon found a hiker in the woods before coming to the game. ‘’If you try anything I will scream so loud, the entire school will hear it without vampire hearing.’’ I retort in a cold manner, my eyes fighting for dominance with Damon’s.

He smirks, ‘’I like a girl who can scream.’’

‘’Ew’’ My face now pulls out a disgusted look. I try and put my hand on Damon’s chest, to push him away.

I seemed to have forgotten that Damon is a little stronger than the average pervert, his hand shoots to my wrist and gives a slight tug. Which causes me to bump into Damon’s chest with my entire body.

My head shoots up to meet his gaze, I don’t doubt every vampire in a 100km radius can hear my heart going a thousand beats per minute. ‘’I’m on vervain!’’ I scramble out, anything to not end up as Damon’s next evening snack.

He smirks, Damon puts his free hand on the back of my head, stroking my hair with his thumb. I try to push my head back but it seems impossible to get out of his iron grip. My hands are trapped to his torso, making my vervain bottle out of reach.

‘’I know, Elena.’’ He calmly states while looking into my terrified eyes. The beating of my own heart almost drowns out his words. I see him looking down to my chest, god I hope my heartbeat doesn’t entice him even more than my flesh wound. ‘’Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you.’’ He shushes.

Despite the circumstances a scoff finds its way out of my mouth. I look at Damon bewildered, ‘’Really? It doesn’t look like it, Damon.’’

He smiles, ‘’Well, you did hit me first.’’ His grip on my arm loosens a bit, but it’s still impossible to move my hands, or my head for that matter.

‘’Self-defence.’’ I retort, ‘’And if you really don’t want to kill me right now, I suggest letting me go to prove it.’’ I give Damon a determined look. Only now noticing that my heart rate has returned from its agitated state.

Damon’s face moves down towards my neck, fucking asshole obviously lied. I try to jerk my head back but his grip on my head remains unbroken. I feel his breath hit my neck, fuck. Well it’s gonna hurt, but the vervain hitting Damon’s tongue in a moment will hopefully hurt even worse.

I tense up in preparation for his bite, god just get this over with. I feel his mouth rest lightly on my neck, barely making contact, ‘’Just do it, what are you waiting for’’ I breathe out. But instead of razor sharp teeth on my neck, I feel Damon’s face rest on my uninjured shoulder. What the fuck is he doing? Now it looks more like he’s hugging me then trying to murder me, I don’t know which I find worse. His thumb brushes over my head again in an uncharacteristically soft way. I still can’t pull away, so I just accept being weirdly hugged by the local serial killer right now.

Until my head whips to the left and I feel a familiar gush of wind go past my face. Due to the force in front of me, I stumble back onto my car. When I look back in front of me, Damon is gone. I turn my head to the left, where I see Damon crushed into the rear window of a BMW. Stefan is bent over him, pressing Damon’s arms into the broken glass.

I see Stefan turn his head towards me, ‘’Elena, did he do something to you?’’ He grunts out, while trying to keep Damon down.

I shake my head furiously, ‘’Not yet, at least’’ I add, not letting Damon off that easily.

‘’It seems you have some jealousy problems, Stef. Definitely should work on that, major turn off.’’ Damon coughs out from underneath Stefan.

Glass shatters on the ground as Stefan pushes Damon further into the car, ‘’Shut up, Damon.’’

Damon chuckles deeply, ‘’What, scared I was gonna eat her?’’. I definitely was, jezus christ good on me for not pissing my pants.

Stefan throws Damon back one last time, then releases his grip on him. ‘’I know you’re not going to hurt her, Damon.’’ Stefan states confidently. I’m not really with you on this one Stef, Damon would have made me Caroline 2.0 if I wasn’t stocked up on vervain.

‘’No?’’ Damon smirks, he brushes off some glass and metal debris. Then pushes himself off the totaled car and stands up in front of Stefan.

‘’Because deep down inside, there’s a part of you that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be.’’ I can’t see his face but Stefan definitely sounds too hopeful for this situation.

Damon takes a step towards Stefan, a smirk on his face that lacks its usual strength. ‘’Who’s pretending.’’

Well for once I do have to agree that Damon is still a fucking psychopath. Just because he hasn’t splattered my blood around the parking lot, doesn’t mean he’s a redeemable person now. God I want to leave this conversation, but I also kinda want to hear it because damn this is getting interesting.

‘’The kill me.’’ Damn, Stefan calm the fuck down.

Damon cucks his head, ‘’Well, I’m tempted.’’ he smirks. That is a lie, they may fucking hate eachother all of the time, but they’d never kill eachother. A lot like a couple of old vampires, I don’t look forward to meeting.

I see Stefan shake his head in disagreement, ‘’No you’re not, you’ve had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. And there you are, still haunting me after more than a hundred years.’’ Stefans words seem to be affecting Damon, he’s lost all traces of his smirk and is looking at Stefan with an uneasy plastered over his face.

‘’Katherine is dead and you hate me because you loved her. And you torture me, because you still do. And that my brother, is your humanity.’’ Stefan finishes his speech.

I see Damon’s head turn towards me, his eyes lock with mine. The awkwardness of being here for this conversation is setting in and my face reflects it. Damon’s stare instead is difficult to read, longing, conflict and regret all seem to come together on his face. I then notice Stefan turning around, he must’ve noticed Damon’s very unsubtle gaze towards me.

‘’Who ran into my fucking new BMW!’’ I hear a voice call behind me, I rip myself from the stares of the Salvatore brothers and face an even greater evil.

Mr. Tanner is currently stomping towards me and the local vampires.

I hear noise coming again from the brothers and turn my head away from Tanner, ‘’If that’s my humanity, what’s this?’’ Damon’s smirk found its way back on his face. Before I can think about what that even means. Damon dashes past me, towards Tanner. Damon jumps on him like a wild animal and I see red liquid drip past Tanner’s arm.

‘’Damon stop!’’ I yell out, my eyes widening in horror. I hear a ‘’no’’ yelled from Stefan’s position but I can’t tear my gaze away from the bloodbath in front of me. I’ve watched plenty of horror movies, but I’ve never seen anyone actually die, especially in such a gruesome way. I feel a gust of wind fly past me again, towards Damon’s murder scene. But it’s too late, Tanner’s screams have already stopped and his limp body falls from Damon’s arms.

Damon faces me and Stefan again, his eyes are bloodshot and the veins under his eyes almost bulge out of his skin. I see Tanner's blood drip from Damon’s mouth onto the ground. My hand shoots in front of my mouth, out of disgust. My eyes persistently stay on Damon’s form.

‘’Anyone, any time, any place.’’ Damon smiles with his now bloodred teeth out. His eyes go from Stefan towards mine, remaining there for a few seconds before he speeds off.

I try not to look at the cadaver of my former history teacher on the ground, when I turn around I see Stefan walking towards me.

‘’Elena, I’m so sorry you had to see that, I-’’ I cut off Stefan’s apology and throw my arms around him for comfort. He doesn’t finish his sentence and returns the hug. His right hand found the same place on my hair where Damon held me moments before. While I look over his shoulder, I see Tanner’s destroyed BMW, the license plate reads: RXK814. Then I move my gaze down and see the number twenty two sprayed onto the pavement below the car. I hug Stefan a little tighter.

Chapter Text

Despite witnessing my first IRL murder, I slept pretty well. School has been cancelled for a few days, so I can fully focus on the upcoming supernatural problems, instead of my science homework.

I pull an outfit from Elena’s closet and make my way downstairs, passing Jeremy on his way out of the bathroom.

‘’Scum ball, scum bucket..’’ I hear Jenna mumble, while she looks at the news playing on the television. Apparently the ‘’mountain lion’’ terrorizing Mystic Falls has finally been caught. Now, I am genuinely wondering if Damon randomly kidnapped a mountain lion and brought it here to cover his tracks, or if the counsel just decided to shoot some random animal as a cover up story.

‘’Not a fan of Logan Fell huh?’’ I say as I walk into the room and stand behind Jenna. She turns to me and gives me a disgusted look, ‘’Also known as Logan ‘Scum’ Fell’’ She turns back to the tv while spitting the word ‘scum’ out.

‘’Did your mom ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?’’ She questions

‘’I hope you didn’t leave your hometown over a guy with hair like, that’’ now my eyes go back to the television, Logan’s hair has an uncanny resemblance to a ken doll’s hair. It looks like he spends at least an hour everyday greasing it up in front of his mirror.

Jenna groans and turns back to me, ‘’In my defence, it used to be curly.’’

I move to sit down at the kitchen table, an old bronze box with gold swirling details is sat in front of me. I pull it towards me and release the little latch on the front to open it up.

Jenna throws herself, still in despair over Logan ‘scum’ Fell, on the chair next to me. ‘’What are you doing with that?’’ She asks while peeking inside the box.

I hand her one of the trinkets inside, an old golden medallion with the Gilbert insignia engraved onto it. ‘’I got it from the safety deposit box a few days ago, Mom told Mrs. Lockwood that she would loan it out for the founders part tomorrow.’’ I explain, while polishing a very expensive looking ring.

Jeremy, who just came down for some coffee, seems to think so too, ‘’How much do you think it’s worth, like, on Ebay?’’ he reaches his hand into the box.

I swiftly push the lid closed, almost catching one of Jeremy’s fingers. ‘’When I’m dead you can sell it all for some more weed, Jer.’’ I give a sarcastic little smile.

He rolls his eyes and turns back towards the coffee machine, ‘’That stuff is mom and dad’s, you can’t give it away.’’ He whines.

‘’It’s called a loan, dumbass’’ I scoff. In response Jenna looks at me funny, ‘’Since when do you curse like that Elena?’’ She questions while giving me a suspicious little side eye.

Oops, I suppose Elena Gilbert wouldn’t have called her drug problem brother a dumbass. ‘’Jenna, while writing your thesis I believe you’ve said the word ‘Fuck’ and ‘Bitch’ about a hunderd times.’’ my turn to give her the suspicious side eye.

Jenna looks away in embarrassment, ‘’Fair point Elena, fair point.’’ she mumbles.

Ding

I stand up to get the door, thankfully no murderous surprise stand at my door this time. I invited Stefan over to tell him about the vampire tracking device. Which I obviously took out as soon as I got the box full of heirlooms. I forgot when Jeremy decided to jack the thing, so better safe than sorry.

I pull open the wooden door to reveal the smiling face of my favorite vampire. ‘’Hi’’ Stefan greets. I take his hand to pull him inside, ‘’Time for business Stefan.’’ I say as I pull him up the stairs into my room.

Stefan takes a seat on my bed, while I close the door behind us. I then walk over to my dresser and open the one place I know Jeremy won’t go snooping in, his sister’s underwear drawer. I pull out the compass, buried underneath some very old hello kitty panties, I turn around to face Stefan and hold it up in the air.

‘’Behold, the Gilbert vampire compass.’’ I exclaim with a smug smile on my face.

‘’The Gilbert vampire compass?’’ Stefan looks unconvincingly from my face towards the watch.

I pull up one brow in annoyance, ‘’Vampire’s are real, but a vampire compass is too impossible for you?’’ I throw the metal thing his way.

Like every football at school, he catches it with one hand. ‘’I’m sorry, I’m sorry, didn’t mean to doubt you.’’ He cuckles while looking at the annoyed look, still plastered on my face.

He examines the compass and flips open, I walk towards the bed and take a seat on his right. The dial of the compass points towards Stefan, he rotates it a couple times and the dial keeps steady pointed towards him. ‘’It’s a vampire compass.’’ he nods, I give him a little nudge with my elbow, ‘’I told you.’’

His gaze goes from the watch towards me, ‘’How did you find it?’’

‘’I read through some of my crazy ancestors' diaries, very entertaining. It also describes a compass that points towards vampires, something Jonathan Gilbert invented some hundred years ago. I recently went through some old family trinkets, that Mrs. Lockwood wanted for the founders party, and voilá I spotted the Gilbert vampire compass.’’ I explain with a proud smile on my face.

‘’Well, it’s good that you found it. I’m trying to handle the Damon situation, but now you can know if he’s nearby.’’ His brows furrowed in worry while talking about handling Damon. Can’t be easy living with a vampire whose hobby is making your life miserable.

‘’Yeah I’m still trying to figure out how to get Damon to stay away from Caroline, I noticed some not so subtle bite marks on her last night.’’ My eyes fall to my lap. To be honest I could drug him, stake him and be done with it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I don’t wanna screw up the timeline too badly, or the fact that I kinda want to meet not-serial killer Damon. Hopefully the first.

I feel Stefans hands grip mine, his hands are not as cold as I expected a vampire’s to be. I look back into his eyes, ‘’I promise Elena, I’ll take care of him and make sure he stays away from you and your friends.’’ His serious hero face made another appearance.

I smile and squeeze his hands in appreciation, ‘’Well, not to abruptly change the subject, but what are you doing tomorrow night?’’ God not-Elena you are the smoothest woman on planet earth.

‘’Nothing important.’’ He looks at me expectantly, ‘’Want to go with me to the Founders party?’’ I’m not really the party kind, but it is important to keep an eye on Damon and Caroline. The longer I’m by her side, the less damage Damon can do.

Stefan chuckles, ‘’They still do that?’’

‘’Didn’t know the tradition was that old, did you go before?’’ I stand up to put the compass back in its hiding space.

‘’When I was still human, the Salvatores were one of the founding families after all.’’ He explains. I turn back around to face him, ‘’Were they fun?’’. I see Stefan getting a pensive look, he probably went to his last one with Katherine. Well time to make this one more remarkable then.

‘’They were okay, but I think it will be way more enjoyable if you were there.’’ He gives me a sweet smile. I feel some heat rising up to my cheeks, I clear my throat to push the blush down. Stefan is just nice, get a grip bitch. ‘’Pick me up at eight?’’ I try and give a nonchalant smile, not really feeling like it’s working. Stefan pushes himself up from the bed, walking towards me. ‘’See you then Elena.’’ he smiles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

After I see Stefan out, I feel a buzz from my pocket. When I pull out my phone I see a text from Bonnie,

Wanna join me & Care @ the Mystic Grill?

Remembering our conversation from last night, I resolve myself to hangout more with them. Only dealing with Stefan, Damon and murder isn’t doing my stress lines any good.

Ofc, OMW <3

I reply, then grab my bag and car keys, not forgetting to say goodbye to Jenna as I make my way out of the front door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

I walk into apparently the only bar/diner in all of Mystic Falls and pass the Lockwood family having a seemingly awkward conversation with their server, Vicky. I see a pop of blond stick out of the dark interior and make my over.

‘’You’re taking Damon to the founders party? What about me?’’ I see Bonnie explain with a confused look on her face. I reach their table and put my hand on Caroline’s shoulder, ‘’You’re taking Damon to the founders party?’’ I repeat.

‘’Elena!’’ I see Caroline spin around in her seat to greet me, a big smile on her face. ‘’What’s so bad about Damon, though?’’ Her smile falls into a pout.

I see Bonnie shoot a greeting smile at me, she then turns to Caroline again ‘’What about your mom? Is she okay with you bringing Damon?’’ I pull back my hand from Caroline and plop down on the wooden chair between them.

‘’And I’m supposed to care, why?’’ Caroline cocks her head, and pressed her lips together.

Bonnie scoffs, ‘’ Because he’s older, sexy, danger guy.’’ her eyes widen while she tries to talk some sense into Caroline.

I chuckle a little, Caroline lets out a scoff, ‘’ Older, sexy, danger guy?’’ she mocks, ‘’Is that an official witch twitter tweet?’’

‘’Caroline, no more witch jokes, that whole situation with Tanner has me freaked out.’’ Bonnie shoots out. After Tanner died, Bonnie called me when she got home and told me about the number she saw at his crime scene. Which were the same numbers her witch powers made her obsess over, unfortunately just freaking her out more and not pushing her towards a conversation with her grams.

‘’Okay’’ Caroline mumbles while looking away from Bonnie. ‘’But Damon is not dangerous, you know, he just has a lot of problems with his brother.’’ Caroline glances my way at the mention of Stefan. Then she continues, ‘’You know, like major, deep rooted drama.’’

I cock an eyebrow, ‘’Like?’’ I question. Caroline inhales sharply and sighs, ‘’I’m really not supposed to say anything.’’ her eyes moving to the floor. Me and Stefan aren’t even together and Damon is still trying to get between us, very dedicated to fucking up Stefan’s life, I’ll give him that.

Bonnie chimes in, ‘’Caroline Forbes, when have you ever kept a secret in your life?’’.

I chuckle as Caroline shoots up again and her face lights up, to spill some ‘’secrets’’. ‘’Okay, but don’t tell Damon I told you.’’ She gives us a serious look. Me and Bonnie nod at her.

‘’Okay so,’’ Carolines hands shoot up in front of her, getting ready to tell the story of the century. ‘’Damon and Stefan both used to date this girl called Katherine or something. Eventually she chose Damon, I mean who wouldn’t, you know. No offence Lena.’’ She shoots me a sympathetic look, that doesn’t really feel like she means no offence. ‘’So anyway, that drove Stefan totally mad and he did all this messed up shit to break them apart. Like he totally manipulated Katherine to turn her against Damon and eventually it worked.’’ She takes a breath, finishing her story.

Bonnie looks shocked while I remain with an entertained smile, leaned back on my chair. ‘’Did you know about it Lena, you don’t seem shocked?’’ Bonnie questions as she turns to me.

I can’t keep my composure and a laugh slips out of my throat, Bonnie and Caroline give me some weird stares. ‘’Yeah no offence Caroline, but I’ll take Stefans word over Damon’s.

‘’What did Stefan tell you?’’ Bonnie leans forward in her seat. ‘’Well they definitely both dated Katherine, a bit gross if you ask me. But Katherine was the psycho manipulator, not Stefan.’’ I explain while sitting a little more straight.

‘’But why doesn’t Damon think, Katherine was bad?’’ Caroline asks, also very intrigued by our gossip session.

‘’Because he’s still in love with her, never got over her, so now he blames Stefan for the fact that they’re not together.’’ I turn to Caroline, ‘’I know you’re capable of choosing your own boyfriends, but you deserve so much better Damon.’’ I stress

I see Caroline get a contemplative look on her face, her forehead creased in an uncharacteristic way. ‘’I don’t know Lena..’’ she mumbles. ‘’Well,you’ll see him tomorrow, so you can all see how he is for yourselves!’’ She snaps back to her usual bubbliness.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

I throw my keys on the nightstand and make my way towards the closet. You can say a lot about Elena Gilbert, but the girl certainly can dress well. I pull out a flowy dark violet dress with thin pieces of light blue fabric draped over it. Then throw it over the chair in front of the vanity, in preparation for tomorrow.

When I finally am done with my night routine, I climb under the soft white sheets and turn off the light. Tomorrow is the founders party, what happens again? Damon is annoying, Damon is a dick, Damon steals the necklace to open the tomb. Elena and Bonnie find Caroline’s bite marks. Stefan spikes Caroline’s drink with vervain, then locks up Damon. Great plan, although it didn’t last very long and led to a lot of dead druggies and a vampire Vicky. Well I could stop Stefan’s plan, or just stop Caroline from freeing Damon. But I can’t be with her all the time, ugh, fuck it, I’ll figure it out as I go. Time to finally sleep.

…

…..

I shoot up in my bed, ‘’THE FUCKING NECKLACE!’’ I yell, perhaps a little too loud. As I hear a ‘’ELENA SHUT UP!’’ from the room next to me. Fuck you Jeremy, my great mind is so much more important than your sleep. I’ll take the fucking necklace and blackmail Damon to stop fucking with Caroline, I know it’s somewhere upstairs in the Lockwood estate, in some sort of heritage display. Then I tell Stefan ‘Hé Stefan, do you know who is fucking smart, me. Just solved the Damon problem, you’re welcome’. And I won’t have to feel a guilty pang in my stomach anymore, when I see Caroline wear a scarf. Plus no vampire Vicky, no vampire Vicky drama, my genius sometimes scares me.

Chapter Text

‘’Elena, Stefan is here for you!’’ I hear Jenna yell from downstairs, I quickly smear one last layer of lipgloss on my lips. Give myself a wink in the mirror, grab my bag and sprint down the stairs.

I see Stefan standing in the hallway, he looks away from his conversation with Jenna, towards me. His eyes moving over my appearance, ‘’You look beautiful, Elena.’’ he breaths while wearing a gentlemanly smile and a dashing tuxedo.

‘’You don’t look so bad yourself’’ I tease. I turn around to face Jenna, ‘You’re coming too right?’’. Jenna is still in her jeans and shirt combo, not very appropriate for a stuck up Lockwood party. She gives a small laugh while she sees my gaze over her outfit, ‘’I’m going a little later with some friends, fashionably late, like your generation says.’’ she smiles. I give her an approving nod and turn back around towards my date, I stick out my arm for Stefan to take.

‘’Shall we go, Mr. Salvatore?’’ I look at him with a small smile. He swoops my arm into his elbow and looks back at me, ‘’Of course, Ms. Gilbert, we couldn’t possibly be late.’’ he smirks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

When we arrive I see a line consisting of the entire town that starts from the richly decorated driveway, all the way to the front door. Thankfully the Lockwoods have mastered the art of greeting, so me and Stefan don’t wait that long. When we reach the massive ivory entrance, decorated with golden stained glass, I glance towards Stefan. ‘’You still need to be invited in, right?’’ I whisper. He turns to face me and brings his lips near my ear, ‘’Don’t worry, even in my time the Lockwoods can’t risk being seen as rude hosts.’’ he whispers.

I look to my left, Richard? Yeah I think Richard Lockwood just finished welcoming some couple I recognise from school. ‘’Hello, mayor Lockwood.’’ I greet, trying to score Stefan his invite in.

Mayor Lockwood turns to us and gives us a big smile you’d only see politicians wear, ‘’Hey, come on in, have fun.’’ He says as he already walks towards some other guest. Stefan turns to me with an ’I told you so’ look, I smile and shake my head as we make our way towards the living room. Before we pass the threshold I spot Damon in the corner, standing next to the grand champagne tower. He notices me and gives an evil smirk and wiggles his fingers my way. I respond with a scowl and a certain finger raised in his direction, before I can see his reaction Stefan leads me into the main room.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

A little later, the rooms with old heirlooms from the founding family are opened. I spot a Gilbert ring, medallion and old golden pistol laying on the first table we pass by. Then at the edge of the table, I spot the wedding rings of Elena’s parents. I feel a pit in my stomach while looking at them, not only did I pretty much cause their death, I also have taken over the life of their daughter. Not on purpose of course, the guilt I feel everytime I hear their name doesn’t seem to agree.

A hand on the middle of my back shakes me out of my depressive thoughts, ‘’Your parents?’’ I turn to meet Stefans sympathetic gaze, I smile in reassurance. ‘’Yeah, I don’t really know if I feel that it’s morbid to have them out, or if it’s a nice way to remember them.’’I sigh.

I feel Stefans hand softly move up and down on my back, of course in comfort, but my heart rate takes it a whole other way. ‘’I always kept a ring of my mothers under my pillow when she passed, even though it reminded me of her absence, it also felt like she was close to me.’’ He softly speaks. ‘’So, morbid and remembrance can both work,’’ he adds. I chuckle, while also feeling a bit guilty Stefan shared something sensitive, while I have to pretend to grieve people I don’t even know.

I turn around towards some letters, put in frames, hanging on the wall next to me. My heart rate settles a little when Stefan's hand falls off my back.

‘’The founding families of Mystic Falls, welcomes you to the inaugural Founder’s Counsel celebration.’’ I read out loud, from the corner of my eye I see Stefan join the empty spot next to me. My eyes scan down the list, a certain Jonathan Gilbert springs out, then a Guiseppe Salvatore and, ‘’Stefan and Damon Salvatore.’’ I raise my brows and give a grin while looking towards Stefan. I see his mouth open to give a response but-

‘’The original Salvatore brothers.’’ Damon interrupts from behind us. I turn around to see Caroline and Damon approaching us, I give Caroline a smile, which in turn she gives me a little wave.

‘’Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually.’’ Damon continues, me and Stefan take a step to face the other couple.

‘’We don’t need to bore them with stories of our past.’’ Stefan expresses while giving Damon a hard stare.

While I’m very determined to give Damon a stank face, I see Caroline look from Damon towards me. ‘’Yeah, I’m bored, I wanna dance.’’ She pouts. ‘’And Damon won’t dance with me’’ she continues. Oh yeah Damon is also determined to break me and Stefan (whom are not even dating) up, this is the last fucking time he uses Caroline for his lame schemes.

‘’Could I just borrow your date?’’ Caroline questions. I turn towards Stefan, ‘’Uh, I don’t really dance’’ he awkwardly chuckles.

‘’He does, you should see him, Waltz, Jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all.’’Damon exaggerates while looking between me and Caroline.

‘’You wouldn’t mind, would you Elena?’’ Caroline cocks her head and gives a mean girl-like sly smile. She’s being controlled by Damon, don’t take it personally not-Elena, I take a breath.

‘’Well, it’s up to Stefan, not like I can compel him or anything.’’ I sarcastically laugh and shrug my shoulders. Damon raises his brow and gives me a smirk. Before I can see Stefan’s reaction, Caroline grabs him by the wrist.

‘’Well, sorry, but I’m not taking no for an answer’’ She says while I see Stefan ripped from his place next to me. Stefan turns around, looking my way with a concerned look. I don’t know if it’s because he has to dance with Caroline or the fact that I’m now alone with Damon. I shoot him a last thumbs up as reassurance before he disappears from the room.

‘’What do you want this time, Damon.’’ I sigh, crossing my arms.

‘’Well, I saw you admiring the past of Mystic Falls and thought I could teach you a little.’’ He smirks and takes a step next to me, then turns back towards the old guestlist of the first Founders Counsel celebration. ‘’Like?’’ I ask with a dull tone, also turning towards the piece of paper on the wall.

‘’The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town, until the war. There was a battle here-’’

‘’The battle of Willow Creek, yeah we learned about it in history.’’ I interrupt, ‘’Confederate soldiers fired on a church, killing all the civilians inside.’’

‘’You know your history, Elena.’’ He purrs, ‘’Yeah I had a great history teacher.’’ I spit while my eyes narrow at Damon. I mean I did fucking hate Tanner, but in his defence I did learn something about American history. I see Damon give a nonchalant shrug, what a dick.

‘’What the history books left out, was that the people that were killed weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathisers, so they were rounded up by the confederate founders. The original Stefan and Damon Salvatore had someone they loved very much in that church.’’ Damon walks past me towards a mini model of the big church in Mystic Falls, still continuing his ‘’history story’’.

‘’And when they went to rescue them, they were shot, murdered in cold blood.’’ He finishes, I may have something in my eye but I think I saw a little emotion in his eyes at the end.

I move towards him, ‘’So let me guess, the ‘’someone’’,’’ I air quote, ‘’Is Katherine, and the ‘’union sympathisers’’ were the vampires that settled in this town.

‘’Ding, ding, ding, ten points to Elena. Did Stefan bring you up to speed?’’ He leans onto the table of the church model, cocking his head at me.

I chuckle, ‘’No, Johnathan Gilbert, perhaps you knew him?’’

‘’Yeah, old, crazy dude, really hated vampires. Must hate to see what happened to his offspring.’’ He smirks

‘’How did your dad take it when he figured out what happened to his offspring?’’ I scoff

Damon’s eyes darken while his eyebrows crease together, perhaps not the best to bring up his abusive dad that shot him. ‘’So Stefan told you nothing about Katherine?’’ Damon’s suave demeanor and smirk return when he changes the subject.

‘’Nope.’’ I turn towards the door, now that Stefan is occupied, I have the perfect opportunity to nick the necklace without having to explain the whole thing.

As I pass Damon I feel his hand grip my wrist, not pulling me back but refraining me from leaving. I turn and raise an eyebrow at him, ‘’You don’t want to know?’’ he softly says, his eyes burning into mine.

A cocky smile forms on my lips, god Damon thinking he’s two steps ahead is kinda funny. Personally I’m not the jealous type, but I totally understand Elena. Always hearing about a mysterious ex that died, having no information about Stefan or his family. The only info you do have is the psycho brother feeding you lies and your bestfriend under said psycho brothers spell, doing the same.

I lean my head towards him, ‘’Did you really think feeding Caroline those lies would make me scared of Stefan?’’

He gives a chuckle, ‘’Ha, are you sure you know my little brother well, Elena? I’m not the only vampire that has eaten people around here, you know?’’ Before I can retort, he gives a slight tug on my wrist, causing my chest to bump against his.

I tug my shoulder back a little, of course to no avail. ‘’You know the difference between you and Stefan, Damon? He treats people like actual human beings, not play toys.’’ His smirk fades a little, his lips now pressing into a thin line and his brows furrowing. I continue, ‘’See I don’t care what happened between you two and Katherine. And I don’t care what Stefan used to be.’’

I lift myself higher while standing on my toes, getting so close to Damon’s face that I can feel his breath on my nose. ‘’Right now, you are the guy holding me against my will, while Stefan treats me with respect and kindness. Something you could stand to learn something from.’’ I whisper while holding his gaze.

I feel his grip around my wrist loosen, I quickly pull my hand back and move backwards. When I look back up at him, I see a weak smirk on his face. ‘’Have fun at the party, Elena.’’ He utters as he walks out of the room.

‘’What the fuck.’’ I mumble, now only surrounded by various old artifacts. My confusion only holds me back for a few seconds. I make my way into the hallway, making a few turns in the massive Lockwood estate, before finding a way upstairs.

Another massive hallway full of doors awaited me, from what I remember the necklace was inside of a box, in one of the rooms with heirlooms of the founding families. I speedrun every door, opening it in search of old metallic looking artifacts. Art room, Library, various other rooms I’m too poor to understand the functioning of. After about eight doors down, I find a room similarly decorated to the room downstairs.

Perhaps I underestimated how many wooden boxes there would be, seeing as there are at least thirty boxes, all varying in size and appearance. Unfortunately I don’t really remember more than just a wooden box with a hidden compartment on the side, I should give back my TVD fan membership card.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

‘’REALLY!’’ I scream in frustration, throwing the probably very costly box to the side. I’ve opened about half of these fucking boxes and nothing. I don’t know how long Stefan and Caroline danced, but I hope to God Caroline is asking for dance number five at the moment.

I grab the next wooden box, a small one. Some small metallic details rest on the corners, ‘’Okay, jezus, if this one has the necklace, I promise to never curse again.’’ I quickly speak while pressing my hands together.

I open the box, nothing inside. I lift the box up to my ear and give it a good shake.

Clink, Clink

I hear a metal sound coming from one of the walls of the box. I press my fingers to the front panel, inside of the box. Then I feel a piece of wood that has come off from the panel. I shake the box over my hand and an amber coloured stone with an iron circle surrounding it falls onto my hand. Thank you jezus.

I hold the necklace out in front of my face, the moonlight coming from the opened window across me shines light onto it. Very pretty, what a waste Bonnie’s great, great, great? grandma wants to destroy it.

‘’What are you doing, Elena?’’ I hear a deep voice behind me speak.

‘’Fuuuuuck’’ I throw my head back in frustration, please let it not be Damon, please let it not be Damon. I slowly turn around and see Stefan looking at me with a concerned face.

‘’Oh thank god, It’s you Stefan.’’ I breathe out, putting a hand over my heart. I stand up and make my way towards the door opening. I hold out the necklace to show Stefan, ‘’Long story but I found a way to deal with Damon.’’ a proud smile is plastered along my face.

Stefan narrows his eyes, ‘’You’re giving him a necklace?’’ He asks, words full of doubt.

I shake my head no, ‘’I’m not giving him a necklace.’’ Stefan still looks confused, welp, let's hope he still believes, ‘’i read it in a diary’’ lie.

‘’Well, I did some more reading in my cray cray ancestors' diary. Apparently a witch spelled a group of vampires in a tomb at the battle of Willow Creek, to save them from burning to death. Later they captured the witch, she told them of the necklace that she used to bind the spell. The necklace was passed down to a founding family.’’ I see Stefan slowly nodding along while I explain my whole fake backstory.

I take a breath and continue, ‘’Anyway, Damon just told me about how Katherine died, burned to death at the church. But I know, no vampires were burned to death that night.’’ I raise my eyebrows, edging Stefan on to see if he connected the fake dots.

‘’Katherine is still alive?’’ His brows furry, an uncertain look washes over his face.

‘’I think Damon is here to get her out of the tomb, and he needs this necklace to do it.’’ I confidently conclude.

Stefan nods again, ‘’You want to blackmail him with the necklace.’’

‘’Bingo.’’ I smile brightly at Stefan. He seems lost in thought, apparently not seeing my masterplan as the genius it is.

His gaze goes to my eyes, ‘’I don’t know, he’s dangerous Elena. You saw it with Tanner, he can lash out any minute. Especially when it comes to Katherine.’’ He gives me a concerned look.

I stuff the necklace into my purse, then take Stefan’s hands in mine, giving them a soft squeeze. ‘’Please trust me, I really think it can work Stefan.’’ my eyes widen in determination. No offence Steffy but your plan has already failed once, the least I need to do is try another way.

Stefan still gives me an unsure look, then I feel his thumb rub over my hands. A soft smile drives his uncertain face away, ‘’Okay Elena, but I need to be there, incase anything happens.’’

I nod vigorously, ‘’Yeah of course, let’s go.’’ a bright smile remaining on my face.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Me and Stefan make our way downstairs and outside, where various canopy tents have been installed for outdoor dancing. We make our way through waiters with champagne and people who have had their fill of said champagne. Then I spot Caroline off to the side in her innocent blue and white dress. She’s looking down, probably because of the murderous vampire next to her, who apparently is a buzzkill who doesn’t dance.

Don’t worry Care, in no time Damon is out of your life and Matt sweeps you off your feet. Then Tyler and then Klaus.. Yeah, let's not think about that right now.

‘’Did you know you’re supposed to dance at a party?’’ I sarcastically question when I reach the couple.

Caroline sighs, ‘’Yeah, I tried to tell him that multiple times!’’ I see Damon roll his eyes at Caroline’s complaints.

She then perks up, ‘’Lena, can I dance with Stefan again? I’m seriously so bored.’’ She looks at me with puppy eyes. I turn back towards Stefan, giving him the same puppy eyes, talking to Damon here would be the safest option. Even Damon isn’t psycho enough to kill the whole party for the necklace right now. Stefan gives a sigh, ‘’Alright, let’s go Caroline.’’ he gives a small smile and extends his hand towards her.

Caroline giggles and pulls him so fast towards the dancefloor, that I see Stefan almost trip over his own feet.

‘’Does it hurt that your own date dances more with Caroline than you?’’ Damon turns toward me and smirks.

I hold my hand out, ‘’Well, then you’ll have to make up for it, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon’s smirk falters for a moment, a surprised look stares back at me. He then takes my hand and his face turns back to cool, calm and psychotic, ‘’It would be my pleasure, Ms. Gilbert.’’ he grinned. The moment we take to the dance floor, a slow dance tune starts to play. His hands find their way towards my lower back, mine stay safely on his shoulders.

‘’So to what do I owe the pleasure of dancing with you, Elena. I thought I wasn’t righteous enough for you presence?’’ A sly smile spreading across his face.

‘’Well, I’ve got a proposal for you.’’ I present a small smirk back.

He leans in closer to my face, ‘’Do tell Elena, I’m intrigued.’’

‘’I have something you need, and in turn for it, I want you to stop using Caroline and stop killing the people of this town.’’ I hold his harsh eye contact.

‘’Which is?’’ His quick answer shows at least some possibility of this working.

I take a breath, ‘’The necklace to get Katherine out of the tomb.’’

His smirk falls, and a vexed stare takes over. Which, due to the proximity of our faces, makes my breath hitch.

His earlier light touch on my back nog turns into a firmer grip, ‘’And how would you know about any of that?’’ He snarls

Okay Stefan, you might’ve been correct on this one. I look sideways to make eye contact with Stefan, but Damon’s hand on my jaw makes me turn back to him. ‘’Elena.’’ his harsh stare makes it feel like I’m under compulsion.

‘’Diary of my ancestor.’’ I breathe out. Fuck I gotta get this under control again, how did Elena even get Damon to actually give a shit about her? Oh yeah, she was sympathetic when he was still a psycho murderer. Welp time to give it a go.

I swallow loudly, ‘’I don’t want to get in the way of you freeing katherine. I think you really deserve to be with her again. But I have to make sure the people I care about don’t get hurt.’’ I push out, very proud that I didn’t stutter.

Damon’s cold stare turns a little milder, he pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear with the hand previously holding my jaw.

‘’Okay, Elena. I trust you on this. But I’ll need the necklace back soon.’’ He breathes out, giving me an uncharacteristic soft look while holding my gaze.

I give a soft smile, ‘’Thank you Damon, I promise I’ll keep my word.’’

Both of his hands go back towards my lower back, our hips still swaying to the music. ‘’Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you and everyone you care about.’’ He chuckles, wagging his eyebrows.

I deadpan, ‘’Well there is the Damon I know.’’ I mutter while shaking my head. I see Damon laugh in response.

For a moment a silence hangs in the air while the final seconds of the song play.

........

‘’Is the necklace in your purse, Elena?’’ Damon gives me a suspicious side eye and I see his gaze move towards the purse hanging from my shoulder.

‘’No.., that would be stupid.’’ My eyes very inconspicuously avoiding eye contact with Damon, while my hand tightens it's grip on my purse.

‘’There is also vervain on my purse, not related to what you just accused me of.’’ I mutter, I finally make quick eye contact with Stefan, who gives me a slight nod. Good fix not-Elena.

Chapter Text

These past days have been strangely quiet, on a supernatural front that is. On the human front, Caroline’s shackles have been freed. Which means that she has way more time for organizing school events, which also means that I have to spend way more time organizing school events. Last night Caroline called me for 3 whole hours to discuss which colour bathing attire we should ban from the Sexy Suds car wash event. Of course the answer was neon orange and then I had to call half of the cheer squad to make sure they weren’t bringing a one piece. I’ll just say, blackmailing Damon was easier than convincing Tiki that she could not bring her fugly bathing suit, that her grandma bought her last summer.

I throw myself off my bed, making my way towards the bathroom to get ready for the day. But when I open the door, I’m face to face with a half dressed Vicky Donavan, using my toothbrush.

I stare at her with a horrified expression, ‘’Sorry, almost done.’’ Vicky gurgles while her mouth is full of toothpaste. I nod while slowly closing the door.

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‘’Jenna!’’ I yell-whisper behind her, after making my way downstairs to the kitchen.

‘’Elena!’’ She mocks my tone, I give an annoyed look back and point towards the stairs. ‘’Are you aware of what’s going on upstairs?’’

‘’Uh-uh.’’ She nods her head, I take a seat opposite of her at the dining table and lean forward. ‘’Uh-uh? You’re okay with that?’’ my eye twitches out of disbelief.

‘’Well, he could be craftier about it? Atleast make an effort to sneak her in and out.’’ She shrugs. Before I can comment yet again about the pedofile upstairs, Jenna continues.

‘’Just so you know I won’t be home for dinner tonight’’ She smiles while looking down at her cereal.

I raise a brow and a teasing smile slides across my face, ‘’Logan ‘’Scum’’ Fell huh?’’

‘’I’m just going to show up and torture him.’’ She gives me a confident look.

I chuckle, ‘’Sure, I’m claiming maid of honor when you guys get married though.’’

Jenna laughs, how did Logan turn into a vampire again? Annabelle and the gang right? God I really have no idea when it happened though. Better slip some more vervain in the coffee machine for good measure.

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School was dreadfully boring again, they still haven’t appointed Mr. Saltzman as the new history teacher. So one less hour of torture for the day.

I rush out of my seat after the last bell rings in math, finally free. When I reach my locker, I see a figure lean against the lockers next to me.

‘’Hey, Stefan.’’ I smile towards my left.

‘’Hé, Elena, had a good day?’’ He asks. I close my locker and we make our way towards the exit.

I sigh, ‘’Stefan, I don’t know how you do it, repeating high school, I find once already terrible enough.’’

He chuckles, ‘’Well, after so many times it just becomes an interesting way to pass time.’’ his look turns towards me. I give him a ‘you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me look’.

‘’If I were a vampire, I’d first visit every country on earth. Even the dangerous ones, because you know, can just bite all the creepy men. And then… uh I don’t really know, but it definitely wouldn’t be high school, no offence.’’ I finish

Stefan stops walking for a minute and turns towards me, ‘’Being a vampire has a lot of downsides, you know.’’ He breathes.

I give him a small smile, of course I know. Not physically of course, but I did watch the originals. ‘’I’m not saying I want to be vampire right now, I can imagine the downsides, I’ve seen Damon.’’ that gets a small laugh out of Stefan. ‘’I don’t know, I want to do so many things in life, when your a vampire that all seems just so much more attainable.’’ I add.

The bloodlust really sucks, and the fact that you could possibly change into a whole other person. But being a vampire would make everything so easy, no more periods, no fear of perverts while walking at night. Unlimited money, so I wouldn’t have to get a job and pretty much no responsibility.

‘’I think you can definitely accomplish anything as a human, Elena.’’ Stefan gives me a kind smile, a small blush creeps up around my face. I subtly clear my throat, ‘’Thanks Stefan.’’ I mumble.

I see Stefan’s brows furrow as he look down at his phone, ‘’Uh, sorry Elena I have to go, are you free tomorrow?’’ He questions

‘’Sexy Suds.’’ I deadpan.

He cocks his head and gives me a confused look, ‘’Sexy Suds?’’

I nod, ‘’It’s Caroline’s way of raising money for the school, car wash, in our bikinis. Because pimping out teenage girls is apparently the best way to get money in this town. But if you want, you could help out too? A lot of the football guys are helping.’’ I smile

‘’I’d love to be pimped out with you Elena.’’ He teases, ‘’Can’t wait to see you in a bikini, Stefan.’’ I give a sly smile and a wave while walking towards my car.

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I throw a red jumper over my dark bikini, already seeing a text from Caroline that I should get my butt outside or she’s never giving me a ride again.

‘’Hey Care, cute bikini.’’ I greet while making my way over to the passenger door, Caroline is wearing a frilly light pink bikini, with a white tank top covering her stomach.

‘’Lena, you better be wearing the bikini I got you last week.’’ She gives me a glare while driving off.

I pull down my shirt a little to show her the side of my bikini top, ‘’I still think it looks slutty.’’ I mumble. I’m not particularly used to showing that much side boob, but Caroline said it would be good for the profit, ew.

I see Caroline’s glare turn into the usual bubbly smile she has plastered on her face, ‘’You look great Lena, you’re gonna be thanking me when Stefan can’t keep his eyes on you.’’

I scoff, ‘’Yeah or he’ll ask for my hourly rate.’’

Caroline shakes her head, ‘’Ugh, he could never afford you.’’ she teases. That shakes a laugh out of me.

When we arrived a few of the cheer squad members had already started setting up signs, water buckets and soap. One pro of having Caroline as my friend is that I don’t have to do the dirty work. Me and Caroline stop at the school table put outside to act as a register.

‘’Okay, so no friend discounts, no freebies and no pay-you-laters. We are not running a charity here.’’ Caroline gives a harsh stare, while putting the iron box for money on the table.

I fastly nod my head, ‘’Got it.’’

‘’Hi.’’ I hear a deep voice behind me say, when I turn away from Caroline, I see Stefan in a grey zip-up hoodie and jeans.

‘’Hey, I’m glad you came.’’ A smile appears on my face.

Then I hear Caroline clear her throat, causing me and Stefan turn around, ‘’Uh, the event is called Sexy Suds you know?’’ She judgingly says while her eyes travel over mine and Stefan’s clothes. She then shoots me a fast wink as she walks off.

Stefan turns to me, a slightly shocked look taking over his face, ‘’Did we just get scolded?”.

I chuckle, ‘’Well, you heard her, time to take of the vest and attract some of the Mystic Falls cougars.’’ I gesture to his torso.

‘’Uh, I think you have to go first.’’ Stefan gives me a sly smile and points back to my shirt.

I humm and narrow my eyes at Stefan, then pull the jumper over my head. Feeling a soft breeze fly over my now bare back. When I look back at Stefan I see him glance at my top, then his gaze shoots vampirically fast back up to my face. ‘’My eyes are up here, Salvatore.’’ I tease.

He gives an awkward cough before unzipping his hoodie, my eyes directly go towards his chest. My god, I’m no better than a man, ogglying him like this. ‘’My eyes are up here, Elena.’’ I hear Stefan say. My eyes then shoot up to meet his smirk. ‘’Well, let’s go wash some cars, before Caroline starts threatening us.’’ I scramble out and make my way towards the buckets of water and soap.

Stefan follows behind me as I walk towards a dark BMW. I throw a soap covered sponge his way and put the bucket of water between us.

‘’So how have things been with Damon, has he been keeping to his word?’’ I ask while scrubbing the front of the car.

I don’t get an immediate response so I raise my head up to meet his gaze. I raise a brow, if Damon has actually killed someone new, that would majorly suck. Of course for the person who died, but also for me, dealing with an on the loose Damon is not something I look forward too.

Stefan meets my gaze, ‘’He’s been.. weirdly quiet. I honestly don’t know if that's a good or bad thing.’’ He sighs.

‘’Have you talked about the whole, Katherine being alive thing?’’ I slowly question. It must have been a shock for Stefan too, after all he thought she was dead for more than a hundred years.

‘’I don’t know what Damon has told you about Katherine, but I don’t feel anything for her.’’ He quickly responds. His hands stop cleaning the hood as he continues to look deep into my eyes.

I chuckle, ‘’Don’t worry, I’m not stupid enough to believe anything Damon says.’’ Stefan gives me a soft smile and we continue cleaning again.

After scrubbing some cars, we run out of soap. I offer to get some more and see how Caroline and Bonnie are doing. While making my way over the register I notice the absence of a certain blond in her pink bikini, instead seeing Tiki sitting in front of the money box.

‘’Hey Tiki, have you seen Caroline?’’ I ask, making eye contact with the raven haired girl in front of me.

Her head moves from her phone to me, ‘’She went to get some more towels, but she’s taking really long. Maybe flirting with some guy, I guess.’’ She uninterestedly says while continuing to text someone.

‘’Thanks, Tiki.’’ I sarcastically say while walking away towards the school entrance. There is no reason Damon would mind control Caroline to him, right? She really could just be talking to Matt or some other random jock at our school. I speed walk towards the cleaning closet, where the extra towels would be stored.

‘’Fuck!’’ I yell, slamming the door of the entirely full cleaning closet. I turn around and run out of the door, towards the parking lot. Caroline’s car is gone, shit why didn’t I just drive myself.

I run back towards the car wash, making my way through all the cheerleaders towards Stefan. I’m panting like a dog when I finally reach him.

‘’Elena what's wrong.’’ His eyes furrow in a worried look while putting a supportive hand on my shoulder.

‘’Caroline .. Is gone.. I think.. to Damon.’’ I huff out between pants, ‘’We need to go now.’’ I manage to get out with a little more breath.

I see Stefan’s face fall and a very guilty look takes hold of his expression. ‘’I’ll go, I’ll handle it.’’ Stefan makes a move to turn around but I grab his wrist. ‘’No, I have to help Caroline.’’ I stress. It’s my fault she’s in danger, Damon probably still wanted to fuck with her mind, I was so fucking stupid to trust his word.

I see Stefan contemplate for a moment, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys. ‘’Take my car, I’ll make it faster on foot.’’. His hand grabs mine and puts the keys in it. I give a fast nod and run back towards the parking lot, searching for Stefan’s car.

Chapter Text

While driving towards the boarding house, I tried Caroline’s phone about four times before giving up. I barely look at the traffic lights, my mind only focused on getting there in time to save Caroline.

When I pull into the front yard of the Salvatore estate, I notice Caroline’s car parked near the entrance. I fling open the car door, only now noticing that I forgot to put my seatbelt on. When I run towards the porch, I see the front door opened wide.

‘’Caroline!’’ I call out, rushing towards the front door. When I get closer I hear glass shattering and something heavy crashing on the floor. I push myself inside off the door casing and look into the living room. I notice the couches, previously in the center, now throw over towards the fireplace. The coffee table has split in half, large splinters of wood scattered all around it. I hear a commotion upstairs, even more furniture breaking I imagine. I doubt Caroline is involved in this fight, I make a left into the corridor. I see splatters of blood leading down two flights of stairs.

My pace slows down, I make my way towards the top of the stairs, hoping to god I’m not finding anything blond downstairs. Fear urges me to grip the railing beside me, but the blood smeared across it keeps me from doing so. I slowly turn around on the landing, looking down towards some kind of old cellar. A body covers the floor next to an opened heavy looking metal door. Zach, I let out a breath that I’ve been holding for way too long. No offence Zach, but rather you than Caroline. I swiftly turn around and make my way back up the stairs. ‘’Caroline!’’ I yell out again, Stefan probably arrived in time and Caroline is just hiding in one of the rooms. I mean Damon has no actual reason to kill Caroline anyway, Zach he actually disliked. He just gets some weird satisfaction from toying with Caroline, which of course is fucked up, but it’s better then laying dead on the floor with a rug of blood flowing underneath you.

I still get no answer, can’t even blame her. Realising vampires are real when you’re being attacked by one must give anyone PTSD. She’s definitely not upstairs, she’s smart enough to run downstairs when two supernaturals are tearing up the house. I rip open every door in the current hallway, all fucking empty. I make my way back towards the living room and try searching the east wing of the boarding house. Jezus fucking christ this estate is massive.

After checking two entire halls in the east wing, I turn around in defeat. I mean in the show she gets out before Damon gets to her. What went so differently this time for that to change? She also could’ve just ran home out of fear, I’ll just call her again.

My eyes widen when I hear the intro to ‘’obsessed’’ by Mariah Carey softly from the direction of the living room. I immediately turn around and take off running in the direction of the song.

Why you so obsessed with me?

The fucking sound is coming from the stairwell leading to the second floor. My running slows down into a speed walk as I try to listen for the ringtone over the still ongoing fistfight above me.

And boy I wanna know, lying that you’re sexing me..

I make my way up the grand staircase, dressed with a scarlet carpet. When I arrive at the top, I thankfully hear the music coming from the side that doesn’t have the murderous vampire on it. I run down the hallway, about to turn right, when I notice my footsteps sounding a lot more.. wet. I slowly lift my right foot and look back, my previously black sneakers are now soaked in red liquid, dripping from my foot down on the floor.

I nearly want to throw up when I put my foot back down again, and a squishing sound reaches my ears. In front of me the hallways split into a left and right direction. I see the trail of blood turn left, I slowly follow it. A horrified look taking hold of my face, my gaze goes towards the middle of the hallway. Then I see bits of blond hair with massive red patches on top of them, I run towards the body surrounded by blood.

Caroline is lying on the floor, a massive bite wound peeks out from underneath her hair. With how much flesh was exposed, it looked more like the mark came from a werewolf than a vampire.

I put my hands on her shoulders giving her a light shake, ‘’Care, wake up, we gotta go.’’ I whisper. Getting no response from her, I tried shaking her a little harder. ‘’Come on, we have to leave!’’ my whispers turn into yelling as I feel a small droplet fall from my cheek.

She can’t be dead, Caroline can’t be dead? She was supposed to be a vampire, have some weirdly hot romance with the dude trying to kill me. Have kids, travel the world, be happy with her mother. ‘’CAROLINE WAKE UP!’’ I yell again, my vision of her becoming unclear due to the tears bubbling in my eyes.

I see something move in my peripheral vision, slowly Caroline’s chest moves a small distance up and down. My hand immediately goes towards the uninjured part of her neck, a smile forming through my tears as I hear a faint heartbeat.

Vampire blood, she won’t die if she gets some vampire blood. ‘’I’ll be right back Care, hold on a little longer.’’ I breathe out as I give her hands a squeeze.

I jump up and run so fast down the hall, that I almost slip on the blood coating the floor. This time my target is the continued sound of fighting coming from the west upstairs wing.

Thankfully now I don’t have to peek in everyroom, as I see Stefan being thrown through a door, over the balcony, five meters from my position. Then a figure opens the already destroyed door that's hanging on only by its hinges. I see Damon’s blood covered face turn in my direction, ‘’Ah, good that you made it Elena, I was just getting hungry again.’’ A psychotic smile plastered over his face. My eyes widen as my hand reaches towards my back pocket, trying to find the vervain bottle. But before my hand even has the chance to grasp it, my back is smashed against the wall on the right.

One of Damon’s hands is holding my arms behind my back, so tight that I’m unable to move them even an inch. His other hand has an iron grip on my jaw, holding it towards his bloodshot eyes. The veins below it, almost pop out of his skin.

My heart is beating a million times a minute, not even entirely out of fear for the beast in front of me. I don’t know how long Caroline has been losing blood and how much time she has left.

‘FUCK YOU DAMON, YOU LIED!’’ I spit in his face, I try to push myself off the wall but he uses his hand on my jaw to push me back.

He chuckles lowly, putting his face even closer towards mine, ‘’I lied? I lied, Elena? I trusted you and you locked me in a cage like a fucking animal!’’ He spits back, his eyes widened and brows furrowed in an exasperated look.

I scoff, ‘’I DIDN’T DO SHIT, AND NOW CAROLINE IS DYING ON THE FLOOR AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!’’ I yell back. Only now it occurs to me that Stefan continued with his stupid ass plan to lock Damon up. Didn’t we have a whole fucking conversation about trusting my plan?

I see Damon contemplate for a moment, his eyes becoming less agitated and his veins settling back into his face. I feel a wind across my face and turn my gaze to my left, Damon’s eyes still remain on my form.

Stefan has finally made his way back up from getting his ass thrown over the balcony. There are multiple blood stains on top of his hoodie, which has been almost torn up completely.

‘’Let her go Damon, she had nothing to do with it.’’ Stefan pants.

Damon lets out an exasperated laugh and turns towards Stefan, ‘’Maybe not, but you did Stefan. And I think you’re gonna have to pay for it.’’ the strength in his grip returns.

My nose scrunches in reaction towards the tight pain in my wrists. ‘’Stefan, Caroline is still alive, she needs your blood, please go.’’ I ramble out, my eyes pleading to Stefan.

I see Stefan’s eyes move between me and Damon, ‘’I think he’s scared I’ll rip your throat out before he makes it back.’’ I feel Damon’s hot breath on my neck.

I move my eyes from Stefan’s pained expression towards Damon’s hungry look. ‘’Well I think if you want your daylight ring back, you won’t rip my throat open just yet.’’ I smirk as my eyes move towards his hand below me.

I see a smirk rise on Damon’s face, ‘’Clever, but I can still finish off blondie in the hallway over there.’’

I throw my head back to Stefan, ‘’Go!’’ I yell, I see Stefan speed off towards the opposite corridor. Damon’s smirk only grows larger and I feel his grip on me falter. Before he can follow Stefan’s trail, I throw my arm back and pull out my vervain pepper spray, aiming it directly on Damon’s eyes.

‘’Fuck!’’ He grunts whilst his hands go towards his face, I knee him between the legs for good measure. I see Damon stumble back a little, still groaning in pain. I take my chance and bolt back towards Caroline and Stefan.

When I spin around the scarlet colored hallway, I see Stefan with his wrist to Caroline’s mouth. Stefan looks up to me and I see him sigh in relief.

"Is she okay?’’ I pant, my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I see Stefan nod, ‘’She will be, it’ll take some time. My blood isn’t as strong as Damon’s.’’ He explains

Speaking of Damon, the fucker can get back any moment. I look around me, can I use anything as a weapon? I mean the wooden furniture can become a stake, but if Stefan can’t take him, I have no chance in hell. My head shoots up towards the window, a little next to Caroline’s, thankfully just unconscious, body. I run towards it and rip open the dark violet curtains dressing it. A ray of sunlight cascades perfectly around Caroline’s body, I quickly make my way next to Stefan. Thankfully right on time, as I see an infuriated Damon speed towards us, stopping right at the border of light.

Damon’s teary eyes move towards the window, then to mine and eventually settle on Stefan, ‘’The sun won’t be shining for long, brother.’’ He smirks as he stumbles back around, hopefully fucking off to his room.

I turn back towards Stefan, ‘’We can get out through the window, compel Caroline, then bring her to the hospital for good measure.’’ my voice finally returned to normal after all the running and being slammed into walls.

Stefan’s eyes don’t meet mine, ‘’I’m sorry, Elena, It’s my fault.’’ He sighs. For the first time, I agree. See I had no idea if my plan would work or not, but the least he could’ve given me was the benefit of the doubt. Now Caroline almost got fucking murdered and I almost got my neck separated from my body, oh yeah and Zach’s dead, RIP.

‘’We can talk about it later, let’s just go.’’ I move to open the window, ignoring Stefan’s painful gaze.

‘’Yeah, of course, Elena.’’ I hear him mutter, guilt dripping from his voice.

Chapter Text

Well the whole, compel Caroline, bring her to hospital, say she slipped on a sponge during the carwash and fell on her head, plan didn’t really work out.

‘’Why isn’t she waking up?’’ I look at Stefan in the driver seat of the car. Caroline is softly breathing while her head lays on my lap.

In the rear view mirror I see his brows furrow, ‘’I don’t know, I’ll compel the hospital staff to run some tests on her.’’ he answers.

I look back down to Caroline, ignoring all the dried up blood on her face, she looks like she’s sleeping peacefully. My hand goes to stroke some hair out of her face, ‘’So why was Damon locked up?’’ my voice cold and accusatory

Stefan is quiet for a moment, and I doubt it’s because he takes driving safely seriously. ‘’I didn’t think Damon would keep his word to you, I had to make sure he wouldn't hurt anyone again.’’ He sighs

I chuckle, ‘’Yeah, that ended well.’’ I shake my head and keep my eyes focussed on Caroline. Looking at Stefan right now makes my blood boil, I had it fucking handled. And now my best friend is lying unconscious on my lap, while I feel red marks forming on my jaw.

‘’I’m sorry Elena, but you don’t know Damon as well as I do. He would’ve acted good for a while, and then if he got annoyed, he would’ve killed you for that necklace.’’ Stefan’s voice finds a little more determination.

I remain silent, yeah I don’t know Damon that well. I mean watching a TV show, doesn’t make you expert about someone's thoughts and actions, but how fucking hard was it to give my plan a chance for atleast a day. Stefan betrayed me probably less than an hour before he claimed to trust me.

Stefan’s voice fills the silence again, ‘’I couldn’t let anything happen to you, Elena.’’ I hear him softly breathe out.

Which I would find very sweet and mushy, if it weren’t for the fact that he could let something happen to Caroline.

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Stefan parks his car at the back entrance of the hospital, compelling a random doctor to examine Caroline and clean her up. I don’t think he could compel the entire hospital to ignore a girl covered in a liter of blood without any wounds.

Me and Stefan wait in front of Caroline’s hospital room, I haven’t called her mom yet. No reason to scare her with her daughter being in the hospital, if she can wake up any moment now.

My head rests on my palms as I stare towards the door in front of me, ‘’So what are we gonna do about Damon now?’’ I sigh, glancing slightly towards Stefan.

His gaze turns to me, he looks exhausted. Can’t blame him, although I’m really in the mood for that right now, he fought Damon, healed Caroline and probably hasn’t fed in good while.

‘’I still have his daylight ring, so he can’t do anything right now...’’ he gets a complicated look on his face. Of course he can’t overpower Damon right now, so when the sun sets, the whole town is just a playground for the hungry, psychotic vampire. I wonder if he still tries to kill Vicky and her stoner gang, I can’t deal with a newbie vampire running around right now. Maybe I’ll just stake her right away if it gets to that point, It’d be safer for Jeremy too.

Looking longer at Stefan reveals his sunken in eyes and his dry lips, ‘’You should go feed.’’

Stefan turns his torso to face me, ‘’No, Elena, I should wait for the doctor with you, I still have to compel Caroline.’’ his voice determined, but his face says something different.

‘’I’ll make sure she doesn’t scream vampire when she wakes up, also, you can’t compel her when you look like you’re about to pass out.’’ My brows furrow as a little bit of sympathy returns to my eyes.

I see Stefan contemplate for a second, than he stands up, ‘’I’ll be back as fast as I can, I promise.’’ I give a small nod and return my gaze to Caroline’s door. It's a shame that I no longer place much faith in his promises.

I sink deeper in my chair and let out a breath when I hear Stefan leave the hallway.

About fifteen minutes pass by with the snoring man down the corridor as my only company. I’ve all but nearly fallen asleep when the door in front of me slowly opens. The old, balding man dressed in his white robes steps out, ‘’Physically she’s in a stable condition, her blood count is perfectly normal, but..’’ I see his eyes narrow as he looks down towards his chart, his lips are pressed in a sharp line.

I jump up from my chair, taking a step towards the short statured man, ‘’What is it?!’’ I sharply yell out.

‘’I’m sorry to tell you miss, but your friend is braindead, it seems that she had an oxygen shortage for a prolonged period of time, resulting in the dying of her brain matter.’’ He calmly explains.

Braindead? Did sucking on bunnies fuck up the quality of Stefan’s vampire blood that much? What kind of bullshit is this? I made sure she got healed in time, and she’s fucking BRAINDEAD?

I notice the absence of snoring down the hall, when I turn around I see the previously snoring man and some nurses are giving me a judging look . I must’ve said that last part out loud.

I push past the compelled doctor and make my way inside Caroline’s room, she’s now wearing a hospital gown. Her hair is no longer covered in blood and a slight smile appears to rest on her lips. I take a seat on the chair next to her bed, all kinds of tubes are attached to her arms. In her nose a small tube sticks out to make sure she can still breathe. I slowly pull her hand from under the covers and take it in my own, hoping for some kind of response.

‘’Care, how am I going to explain this to your mom? And to Bonnie, and your dad?’’ A sob escapes my throat. Fuck what the hell is even happening, how did everything go to shit this fast. Did fate decide that vampires should fuck my life up even worse then Elena’s? At Least then Caroline would be happy as a vampire, yeah she had to go through the whole vampire acceptance thing with her mom and Tyler, but at least it had a goddamn happy ending.

Caroline was so much happier as a vampire anyway…

‘’You can still be a vampire.’’ I breathe out, my eyes widening in realisation

Stefan’s blood might’ve been too shitty to heal Caroline, but it should still work with turning her, right? Wait, can brain dead people even turn? It didn’t really work for cancer patients, so I wouldn't want to repeat that.

My eyes find a spare pillow lying on the other chair in the room, I owe it to Caroline to try. The sun will be setting in a moment anyway, enough time to get Caroline up to speed on the vampire business. I’ll worry later about a daylight ring, not being fucking dead is the main priority right now. I push myself off the chair and hastily walk towards the pillow on the other side of Caroline.

I grab it harshly and make my way to stand over Caroline’s bed, I slowly remove the tubes in her nose from the piece it’s attached to.

‘’Sorry Care.’’ I mutter as I press the pillow over Caroline’s face.
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My gaze is glued to Caroline’s dead form on the hospital bed, how long is this supposed to take? If it doesn’t work I just took away everyone's chance to say goodbye to her. God I’m an awful person, I hug the pillow I just smothered my friend with, closer to my chest.

Thankfully due to Stefan’s decent compelling, no doctors were notified of Carolines not-so-alive condition.

At Least I thought so until the door behind me swings open, my neck races to face the door.

‘’Elena what happened?’’ Stefan’s worried expression met my tearstained face.

‘’Caroline, she.. she was braindead.’’ A new tear rolls over my cheek.

Stefan’s gaze flies over Caroline’s body and then goes back to mine, ‘’Was?’’ he questions.

My face turns back towards Caroline, ‘’She still had vampire blood in her system.’’ I explain, my voice becoming a little colder.

I hear Stefan getting closer to my chair, ‘’You turned her?’’ His words a little more accusatory than I’d like.

I dryly chuckle, ‘’Well not like I could ask her, huh? Since your brother actually sucked the life out of her.’’ I spit

Stefan circles around my chair to face me, ‘’Elena, what do you know about vampire transformations?’’ his eyes becoming less harsh.

Well, vampire blood, die, drink human blood. Boom vampire, ‘’You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die, then you have to drink human blood.’’ I slowly explain as I face his eyes.

‘’She still has a choice, and I’ll respect whichever she makes. I just..I-’’ Tears start pouring down again, ‘’I-I just wanted to see her again, I know it’s selfish.’’ I sob. Stefan lifts me up from the chair into his arms, the murder weapon falling from my hands to the floor.

One of Stefan’s arms supports my waist, as the other one strokes my hair. I lay my head on his shoulder and continue to cry in the crook of his neck. ‘’You’re not selfish Elena, you’re a great person, who cares a lot about her friends. It’ll all be fine, we’ll figure it out together, I promise.’’ He whispers as he continues to soothe me. My arms reach toward his neck and I pull him closer towards me. ‘’Thank you, Stefan.’’ I mutter in his neck, as the tear stream slows down a bit. This time definitely trusting his promise.

‘’Where the hell am I.’’ My and Stefan’s embrace ends when we hear a familiar voice speak up. I look up from his shoulder as I see Caroline push herself up from the hospital bed. I rush towards her and jump on the bed to embrace her, ‘’Oh thank god you’re awake Care!’’ I cry out.

I feel two smaller hands pat my back softly, ‘’Love you too Lena, but you’re crushing me here.’’ Caroline grunts. ‘’Sorry’’ I fastly shoot out, as I swiftly sit straight up on her lap.

When I look at Caroline she has a confused smile on her face, ‘’So, uh , why exactly are we in the hospital and why is your boyfriend here?’’ a little smirk forming on her face at the last part.

I give her a ‘’really?’’ look, then turn back towards Stefan. He awkwardly chuckles, ‘’Caroline, we have a lot to talk about, I think it’s best we have a conversation somewhere else.’’ he gives a soft smile.

When I turn back towards Caroline, she has a doubtful look on her face. Which is completely fair seeing as the last guy she trusted, just ripped her throat open. I take her hand in mine, and look into her eyes, ‘’It’ll all be fine, I promise.’’ I smile. Caroline’s doubting look dissipates slowly.

‘’Okay, can I get some other clothes though? These robes definitely don’t go with my hair.’’ She complains.

‘’You got it, Care.’’ I laugh.

Chapter Text

‘’So let me get this straight, your murderous vampire brother, aka Damon, killed me.’’ Caroline gives a mean side eyes towards Stefan. When I turn to look at him, a guilty expression appears on his face as he nods in agreement. She continues, ‘’And because I drank vampire blood before dying, very gross by the way, I’m now a vampire too?’’ Caroline raises a brow and gets a slightly confused look on her face.

Stefan speaks up, ‘’You still have to drink human blood to finish the transition, right now you’re in between of being a vampire and a human.’’

Caroline’s face turns to disgust, ‘’Well, what if I don’t want to drink human blood?’’

I look back at Stefan, who appears to be lost for words, ‘’You die.’’ I add, my voice heavy.

‘’I DIE?’’ Caroline spurts out, can’t blame her. What a dogshit situation to be in, but to be fair she didn’t even have a choice the last time around. Katherine just killed her without explaining the whole vampire rule book, and then Caroline was left on her own to spiral out of control. And then even Bonnie hated her, maybe she’ll hate vampires a little less if her Grams doesn’t die?

‘’I don’t wanna die, I’m only 17! And I still have the Miss Mystic Falls competition coming up, you know how hard I trained for it Elena!’’ And Caroline is officially rambling. I take a step forward to the bronze-coloured couch Caroline is currently sitting on, and put my hands on her shoulders.

‘’Care, I can’t imagine how hard this choice is for you. But I’ll be there with you every step of the way if you want to become a vampire.’’ I offer a sympathetic smile as I squeeze her shoulders softly.

I see her eyes swell up with tears, ‘’I’m not ready to die yet, but I- I just don’t know if I can be a vampire. What if I turn into a complete psycho like Damon?’’ A couple tears fall down onto her lap.

I pull her into a tight hug, hoping she wouldn’t go for my jugular just yet. ‘’Care, you can do anything you set your mind to, I’ve never met anyone as organised and amazing as you. And when you’re a vampire, you’ll still be you, I know it.’’ I soothe her while her tears now reach my neck.

I’m happy to know that my sweet words are not lies, Caroline does get the hang of being a vampire pretty fast. And to my recollection, she doesn’t really change all that much. Yeah she becomes a little more adult, but who doesn’t in their teenage years?

‘’What am I gonna tell my mom, Lena?’’ She softly whines. Yeah slight problem that her mom is one of the like ten people here that know about vampires. But she came around the first time, I’m sure it’ll turn out good this time too. And otherwise I’ll ask Stefan to just compel her, problem solved.

I pull myself back from our hug to look her in the eye, ‘’Just say you’re staying with your aunt for a while, that you broke up with Damon and you need to leave Mystic Falls. You can just stay here in my lake house, while we figure everything out.’’ The lake house is ways out of town, no human blood distractions for Caroline. Except me of course, heh.

I see Caroline nod, ‘’Okay, okay, bring on the blood then I guess. This is gonna be so gross.’’ she sighs.

‘’I think Damon has some blood bags stored away in the boarding house, I’ll go get one.’’ Stefan chimes in. I turn around to meet his gaze.

‘’Do you think he’s still home?’’ I question. I see Stefan’s gaze drift to the darkness outside, ‘’I’m afraid that he’s not, I’ll be back as fast as I can.’’ He says while giving me a serious look.

I nod, and feel the wind rush past my face as Stefan speeds out of the house.

I hear Caroline gasp behind me, ‘’Omg can I do that too?’’ Her big eyes look at me with amazement. I chuckle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

‘’Holy shit what is taking him so long.’’ I sigh as I throw myself on the couch next to Caroline.

Caroline’s hand reaches for her phone and turns it on, ‘’It’s been like almost three hours, at this point taking the car would’ve been faster.’’ She rolls her eyes.

I don’t want to freak out Caroline, but I have no idea how much time she has left before she has to feed. Was it a while 24 hours after dying, or 12? ‘’I’ll try calling him again.’’ I say, now pulling my own phone out.

I let out a sigh of relief when his voicemail doesn’t start playing again,

‘’Elena, unfortunately Stefan can’t come to the phone right now, what can I do for you?’’ A glib voice rings out of my phone.

I let out a groan, god fucking dammit. Shouldn’t he be draining some junkies right now? ‘’What did you do to Stefan?’’ I spit, I see Caroline get a worried expression on her face.

Damon chuckles, ‘’Nothing he didn’t do to me. See I came home from a late night snack, to find Stefan trying to steal some of my blood stash, so not cool.’’

He continues, ‘’And then I thought, could Stefan have ditched his squirrel diet? But unfortunately then I remembered a certain blond best friend of yours that was on death's door, and was snacking on some vampire blood last time I saw her.’’ his tone turns colder.

I sigh, ‘’She still needs to feed to turn.’’

‘’Didn’t want to pop a vein for your best friend? Pretty rude of you Elena.’’ He chuckles

A scoff escapes my lips, ‘’Says the psycho that murdered her to begin with.’’ I snarl, my voice full of venom.

He hums, ‘’Well, unfortunately for you, this psycho has the only blood bag stash in Mystic Falls. I don’t exactly know when she turned, but I do know that time is ticking Elena.’’

Fucking asshole, he even wasn’t this much of a cunt as when he turned Vicky. ‘’What do you want, Damon?’’ I sigh.

‘’My daylight ring- and before you say, ‘Damon I don’t have your daylight ring, fuck you’, I think Stefan would be more willing to give it back if you’d ask nicely.’’ My eyes twitch in annoyance, also for the fact that I indeed was going to say that.

‘’Fine, I’ll be there in an hour.’’ I groan, nudging Caroline to get off the couch and walk towards the door.

‘’I’ll be waiting, bye Elena.’’ the line cuts out. I speed walk towards the door and throw it open. Looking back to see Caroline following me with a confused look on her face, ‘’I’ll explain in the car.’’

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

When we arrive at the boarding house, I see Caroline shaking in her seat next to me. ‘’Care, you okay? Are you feeling.. cravings?’’ I carefully question. She turns to me with a horrified look, ‘’No, no not anything like that. I just- I remember the last time I was here.’’ she sputters.

I move my hand over towards hers, ‘’Fuck Damon and everything he did to you, I promise after you turn you won’t have to be scared of him anymore. We just have to get this over with.’’

Caroline gives me a determined look, ‘’Yes, let’s get this the hell over with.’’ she nods.

We get out of the car and make our way towards the front door. Before I can knock on it, the doors swings open, revealing Damon shithead Salvatore in a very unbuttoned black shirt and dark jeans. ‘’So glad you could make it, Elena.’’ He grins, I give a disgusted look back and step past him, into the house.

‘’Yeah and I’m here too.’’ I hear Caroline mutter behind me.

I let out a small gasp when I see Vicky’s body hanging over the sofa, a visible leaking bite mark is left on her neck.

Damon turns back to me and leans down, ‘’Don’t worry, she’s still alive.. for now.’’ His smirk turns bigger at the last part. The fact that her wound is still open means she hasn’t turned yet, thank god, that would’ve been so much extra work. And it also would’ve been bad for Vicky, of course.

‘’Well, let’s go see Stefan shall we? He must’ve been so worried for you.’’ Damon gives a fake sympathetic smile, then he looks past me towards Caroline. ‘’You can stay here, be a good girl and don’t die on the carpet, I just had it cleaned.’’ He grins. I turn towards Caroline, ‘’Don’t worry, you still have time.’’ I raise my brows and give her a supportive look.

I see her nod as she takes a seat on one of the not-blood covered chairs. Damon has already started walking towards the cellar where I found Zach. I quicken my face to follow after him.

I stare daggers towards Damon’s back as we make our way down the flight of stairs. He stops at the last cellar door, the very same one he was locked in a day ago. I make my way towards the little window carved out of the heavy door.

‘’Elena, what are you doing here?’’ Stefan looks at me with a pained expression from the other side of the door.

I sigh, ‘’Well I didn’t want to let Caroline die for a second time.’’ I sneer, standing between the two people who are responsible for killing my best friend, doesn’t really improve my mood.

When I look at Damon I see him give me a nudging gesture towards Stefan, ‘’Just give Damon his ring back before he murders the entire town please.’’ I look Stefan in his eyes with a tired look.

Stefan contemplates for a while, then sighs as his hand goes behind his back. He pulls out the signature Salvator daylight ring and hands it to me through the window.

‘’You didn’t think to check his pockets?’’ I raise my brows and look towards Damon. He shrugs his shoulders as he picks his ring from my fingers. ‘’Didn’t think he’d be that stupid.’’ he laughs.

I shake my head in annoyance, ‘’So can I have the bloodbag now?’’ Damon cocks his head and puts a finger towards his lips, in a fake ‘i’m thinking really hard’, look.

‘’Well, -’’

‘’AHhhh!’’

A yell coming from upstairs silences us all. I immediately turn around and run upstairs, then I feel a gush of wind when Damon speeds by me. When I make my way back towards the living room I see Damon restraining Caroline. Blood is dripping from her mouth and hands, I lower my gaze towards the floor and see the now dead body of Vicky Donavan coloring the carpet red.

Caroline looks at me, a horrified expression stares back at her, ‘’I didn’t mean to, I promise Elena I didn’t mean to!’’ She yells out, trying to wiggle out of Damon’s grip. Desperate tears are running on her face. I slowly take a step towards them, ‘’It’s okay Caroline, I know you didn’t mean to, just try to calm down.’’ I nod. Caroline stops her attempt to wrestle off Damon and takes a deep breath.

‘’You’re okay with blondie just ripping some poor girl's head off?’’ Damon gives me a judgy side eye.

I scoff, ‘’Rich, coming from you.’’ I make my way over towards Caroline, only to be stopped by Damon’s hand on my shoulder. My eyes shoot up towards him and give him a glare, ‘’She can’t handle it, don’t think she won’t go for your neck, Elena.’’ His voice has an uncharacteristically soft tone.

After hearing that, Caroline starts trying to fight back against Damon again, ‘’I’d never hurt her! She’s my best friend!.’’ she screams as her voice breaks. Damon’s hand on me retracts as he swiftly grabs a piece of the broken coffee table still lying on the floor. ‘’Sorry blondie, but you’ll die soon anyway. Can’t have a rogue baby vamp running around.’’ He says while looking Caroline in the eye. Before he can plunge the piece of wood into Caroline, I throw myself in front of her.

Damon’s hand stops moving right before the stake punctures my skin, I feel the sharp point pressing on my chest. His brows furrow in slight confusion as his eyes meet mine, ‘’She can’t handle it, Elena.’’ He whispers. My chest rises and falls fastly, behind me I feel the warmth of Caroline’s breath.

‘’She can, me and Stefan will help her, she’ll get it under control, I promise.’’ I beg, God although I’m still annoyed with him, having Stefan not here makes this so much harder. Damon has no fucking reason to even believe me, Caroline’s first victim is lying not even a meter away from us. And I’m pretty sure I just stepped into some blood.

I see Damon’s eyes shift between mine and Caroline’s, he looks torn about killing Caroline. I grab the hand he’s holding the stake in, his eyes now solely focused on mine. ‘’Please Damon.’’ I whisper.

He sighs, lowering the stake and throwing it to the side, ‘’Fine, but whatever happens, is on you.’’ he points towards me. I glance towards Vicky’s body, whose death is now also on me. Fuck, I don’t even know what to do with her body. Maybe I also should’ve watched more Dexter.

Damon follows my gaze and notices my conflicted look, ‘’I’ll take care of it, go let Stefan out of his dog pen so I don’t have to babysit the baby vamp.’’ his signature smirk returns to his face.

I nod, ‘’Thank you, Damon.’’ a small grateful smile finds its way towards my face. I then make my way towards Stefan in the cellar, who has probably been trying to kick down the door while hearing the commotion upstairs.

Chapter Text

Today's mission is getting a daylight ring for my recently undead bestie Caroline. It’ll be my present to her when she gets out of baby vampire rehab, taught by the one and only, Stefan Salvatore. Like the lake house, the Salvatore boarding house is remote enough for a vampire struggling with urges. But I still think Caroline would’ve preferred crashing in a house without her ex-abuser. The only good thing about it is the short drive time, which means I can visit Care everyday.

We still haven’t told Bonnie yet, Caroline wanted to get her vampire troubles under control before dropping the big V bomb on Bonnie, very fair. Only keeping up the lie of Caroline being heartbroken about Damon and moving away doesn’t really feel great.

Anyway getting back to the subject, the daylight ring. If I remember correctly, the spell for it is in Emily’s grimoire, which happens to be in daddy’s Salvatore casket. I know he was buried somewhere on the old Salvatore estate, but I don’t have a metal detector to search the ruins surrounded by a couple miles of woods. So that’s why I’m getting up wayyy too early to drive towards the boarding house to ask Stefan where his first murder victim is buried.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

When I arrive, I notice Caroline’s car has been moved. Probably to the garage, it would look a bit suspicious if sheriff Forbes made a house call and suddenly found her daughter’s car there.

I’ll try to use the ‘’I read it in a diary’’ excuse again to explain my knowledge of Emily’s grimoire and daylight rings. In my defense I’m pretty sure the whole part about the grimoire being with Giuseppe Salvatore, is actually in my crazy ancestors' diaries.

I knock on the door, the sun hasn’t arrived just yet, so maybe Caroline will open the door. I really hope standing in the sunlight again will give her some humanity back, after I get the grimoire I should probably try asking Sheela to do the spell. She obviously knows Caroline is friends with Bonnie and would want to help? When Stefan asked for her help, it worked, so maybe she isn’t racist against all vampires.

The creaking of the door opening shakes me from my thoughts, My eyes, unfortunately, meet the cold blue gaze of my least favorite Salvatore. Damon leans lazily against the doorframe, a smirk curling at his lips as he takes in my reaction.

I let out a loud groan and throw my head back in annoyance.

"Also very nice to see you again, Elena," he drawls, that ever-present grin widening.

‘’Stefan here?’’ I flatly say, my voice devoid of any warmth.

Damon shakes his head. "Out bunny-hunting with Blondie. Trying to convert her to the vegan vampire lifestyle." He rolls his eyes.

I glance toward the forest behind the Salvatore estate, I’d definitely rather eat humans than animals. Thinking of fur in mouth already makes me want to throw up, ‘’How long are they gonna take?’’ my gaze goes back towards Damon.

He pushes off the door and steps outside. "An hour. Maybe more. The critters have been giving him a run for his money." His smirk deepens at his own jab.

I roll my eyes and turn toward my car. Whatever. I’ll just text Stefan. As I take a step toward the stairs, a hand wraps around my wrist.

I spin back around, my patience already wearing thin. "What?"

Damon releases my hand, but his smirk remains. "Perhaps I could be of assistance. What do you need from Steffy?"

Yeah, right. Like he'd ever actually help me. But I also really don’t feel like waiting around. Stefan’s texting skills are straight-up abysmal—you’d think living through the industrial revolution would’ve taught him some damn technical skills. Ah fuck, might as well give it a try.

"Where's your father buried?" I ask, maybe a little too casually, considering the words "father" and "buried" are in the same sentence.

Damon’s brow furrows, his smirk flickering into something more puzzled. "Where is my father buried?" he repeats.

I tilt my head. "You don’t know?" A grin tugs at my lips.

Damon raises a suspicious brow, ‘’I know, but why do you want to know?’’ he questions.

‘’Emily’s grimoire is buried in there, I need a spell from it.’’ He really has no need for it right now, with the crystal still being intact. So no need to be all secretive about it.

‘’And how do you know all that?’’ He gives me a side eye.

‘’Diary. From your favorite Gilbert.’’ I arch a brow. "So, are you going to help me or not?".

He hums, looking up in fake contemplation. Then his gaze flicks back to me, his smirk returning. "Yes."

Wow. Maybe he really is becoming a little less of a little shit. Maybe he even regrets what he did to Carol—

"For a price, of course," he adds, his grin turning sharp.

I groan, fuck you Damon, ‘’What is it?’’

"The necklace you stole from me. Still need it, after all."

I scoff, crossing my arms as I lean toward him. "First of all, I didn’t steal it from you. I just stole it before you could." My voice drips with sarcasm. "Second of all, why should I give it to you?"

Damon shrugs. "Well, I could always kill one of your friends again. Or maybe a family member this time? Your little blondie drained my last blood bag dry, after all." His smirk is practically insufferable.

"God, you’re annoying. Fine." I spin around and walk toward my car.

Opening the glove compartment, I pull out the shiny amber necklace. If Emily ever possessed Bonnie, I doubt she’d be able to break into a 21st-century car. Perfect hiding spot.

I return to find Damon grinning, hand outstretched. I shove the necklace into his palm, narrowing my eyes. "So? Where is it?"

He grips the necklace, then shoves it into the back pocket of his dark trousers. "The old Salvatore estate, near the backyard. Not too deep in the forest." His voice is almost bored.

"Thanks," I mutter. I’ll head over after school, then stop by Bonnie’s to talk to her grams.

Damon clears his throat loudly.

I glare. "What?" my eyes turn back on his form.

"You seriously think you can dig through forty pounds of dirt by yourself? Teenage girls might pull it off in the movies, but you? With those puny arms?" He chuckles, looking me up and down with mock pity.

Ugh. He might actually be right. It looked easy enough when Buffy did it, but I’m just a regular seventeen-year-old girl. "I’ll just wait for Stefan, then," I huff, turning back toward my car. If I take any longer, I’ll miss PE.

"Or… I’ll go with you," Damon purrs.

I exhale sharply, turning to face him for what feels like the tenth time. "Why the hell would I want to spend more time with you?"

His smirk widens. "A little bird told me there’s trouble in paradise between you and Stef."

I roll my eyes. "If I see your creepy-ass crow at my window one more time, I’m shooting it."

But… he’s not wrong. I don’t exactly look forward to explaining this to Stefan. He’d probably decide Caroline isn’t ready for a daylight ring and hide the grimoire from me until he thinks she can handle it. And knowing him, that could take forever, thanks to his ridiculous squirrel diet.

I sigh. "Fine. You can come." throwing my hands up in defeat.

Damon’s grin stretches even wider. "Well, let’s not keep dear old Dad waiting." He shuts the door behind him, and walks towards me.

I hold up a hand. "Wait a second. I’m going after school, not right now."

Damon is already strolling toward his car. "Unfortunately, my offer only extends to right now. I’m a very busy man, you know." He swings open the passenger door and gestures for me to get in.

I groan. I really don’t want to deal with another bullshit absence. But then again, I already graduated once. Not like I’m learning anything new.

I sigh, dragging my feet toward the car. "Fine. Let’s go."

I slide into the vintage Chevy as Damon’s smirk lingers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

Thankfully, Damon kept his mouth shut for most of the drive. A miracle, really.

When we arrive at the old Salvatore estate, I notice old ruins reminiscent of the revival of the renaissance period. Old pillars and half-walls are still standing up. A lot of rubble covers the ground, but most of the land has been reclaimed by tall trees and bushes

Damon pops open the trunk and pulls out a shovel.

I arch a brow. "You always keep one of those on hand?" I give a judging side eye.

He circles the car and comes to stand beside me, flashing that insufferable smirk. "Well, leaving bodies out in the open is a little barbaric, don’t you think?".

I shake my head and move past him, stepping carefully over loose stones and overgrown roots. From what’s left of it, I can only imagine it was gorgeous. There also appears to have been a big front yard from the patterns of the overgrown bushes.

‘’Admiring the scenery?’’ Damons glib voice appears from my right, I turn to meet his gaze.

"It must’ve been beautiful back in the day," I muse, nodding toward the old pillars.

A rare, genuine smile tugs at his lips. "It was. These ruins don’t do it justice."’ he reminisces.

I glance at him. "What was it like? Living here?"

"Fun, sometimes. I taught Stefan how to play football right over there." He gestures vaguely toward the overgrown old yard before his expression darkens. "Other times… our father made our lives hell. Especially mine."

I frown but stay quiet, letting him continue.

"I was enlisted in the war back then," he says, a humorless chuckle escaping his lips. "He wasn’t exactly thrilled when I left my post.".

My brows knit together. Great, I’ll make sure to spit on his grave when we get there.

"And your mother?" I ask, my voice softer. "What was she like?"

Something shifts in Damon’s face—his usual smirk falters, replaced by something gentler. "Nothing like him. She was kind. Nurturing. And she never raised a hand against us, which is more than I can say for him." His scoffs as voice drops slightly, his gaze distant. After a pause, he sighs. "She died of consumption when I was seventeen." His eyes lower to the ground.

I clench my jaw. Goddammit I wish I knew where their mother was staying right now, and how fucking awful of her to never visit either of her children. I get leaving your abusive husband, but leaving your kids in the hands of that man is just horrible.

‘’I’m really sorry, Damon.’’ I give him a sympathetic look.

He meets my gaze, and for a brief second, there's something almost vulnerable in his eyes. But then, as if flipping a switch, his smirk reappears. "Well, enough reminiscing. Time to dig up dear old Dad."

‘’Well, enough reminiscing, time to dig up daddy.’’ He smirks.

Looking ahead, I spot the worn-down headstone of Giuseppe Salvatore. The engraving is so weathered that only his name is barely legible.

The ground around it shows no sign of being a grave, if it weren’t for the headstone, you’d never know it was there.

I glance at Damon and flash a small grin. "Finally. Now I can cross ‘grave robbing’ off my bucket list."

Damon chuckles as he drives the shovel into the dirt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

I lay sprawled on the dry earth, watching Damon dig. His movements are smooth, effortless—centuries of practice, I guess. The sound of the shovel hitting the dirt fills the silence.

Damon glances at me, smirking. “Enjoying the view?” He tosses another shovel full of dirt over his shoulder.

I let out a small laugh. “For once, I’m actually grateful for your company. I’d probably blow my back out trying to do this myself.”

He arches a brow. “Oh, I know much more enjoyable ways for that to happen.” His smirk widens.

I make a face. “Ew.” I wave a dismissive hand. “Less perving, more digging, please.”

Damon opens his mouth—probably to fire off another inappropriate remark—but a sharp clink from the grave silences him.

I push myself up onto my knees, peering over the edge. A piece of reddish wood juts out from beneath the earth. My eyes flick to Damon, and I can’t help but grin. He shrugs, returning the smile.

“You’re welcome. But don’t thank me too much,” he says with mock humility.

“Yeah, let’s actually get this thing open first.” I climb into the grave and start pulling at the coffin lid.

Damon snaps into a mock military salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll lift the lid, you grab it from above.”

Damon moves out of the grave, his eyes focused on my form. The lid thankfully isn’t stuck that much, I can use my normal human strength to pop it off.

I brace myself, gripping the edge of the coffin and giving it a firm yank. I expect a pop as the seal breaks.

Instead—

“AAAGH!”

Not exactly the sound I was hoping for.

My head whips around just in time to see Damon clutching his thigh, a deep red stain spreading across his jeans. My stomach drops.

Before I can react, a voice rings out behind him.

‘’I’ve finally caught you, vampire.’’ wow that sounded so cringe my god. But I recognise that cringe voice, I look past Damon to confirm my suspicions.

Standing between the trees is a man in a polo shirt with terrible hair—Logan. He’s gripping a small gun, the barrel still aimed at Damon.

Damon groans, slowly turning to face him. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you really don’t wanna do this.”

Logan narrows his eyes. A second bullet fires, hitting Damon in the arm.

I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth.

Logan chuckles. “Oh, I definitely want to do this. The council is gonna love hearing that I took down the vampire terrorizing our town.” His grin is smug and self-satisfied.

I see a blur move in the direction of Logan, when I hear his gun go off a number of times. I dive behind the dirt wall of the grave, heart hammering. Yeah, no thanks, I’d rather not get shot.

Finally the sounds of gunfire have died down. Slowly, I lift my head over the edge of the grave. Instead of Damon, I see a pair of polished brown shoes, Logan’s standing right in front of me.

Now near the trees, lies Damon. More blood spots have formed on his shirt and pants, so many in fact, that a small pool of blood has formed beneath him.

Logan reloads, his voice filled with pure arrogance. “Wooden bullets, laced with vervain. My personal invention. Any last words before the final shot, vampire?”

‘’Fuck you.’’ I hear Damon grunt.

This never happened before. When did Logan suddenly become Van Helsing?! Damon is too weak to fight back right now. He needs time to heal.

I need to stall. Or stop him. Now.

My gaze drops to Logan’s ankles. He still hasn’t noticed me.

I don’t think. I just grab.

“What the—?!” Logan yelps as I yank his ankle, hard. He topples into the grave with me, crashing against the coffin with a loud thud.

Unfortunately, the grave isn’t big enough for the both of us, and his body slams into mine.

‘’Elena, what are you doing here?!’’ Logan’s voice rises in surprise as our eyes meet.

I ignore him. My gaze zeroes in on the gun, now lying just inches from his body.

He follows my stare. Shit.

His hand shoots out. Mine is faster.

I lunge, fingers wrapping around the cold metal just as Logan howls in pain—my knee ramming between his legs.

“You bitch!” he snarls.

Before I can lift the gun, a sharp yank on my hair jerks my head backward. I scream.

‘’Give it back Elena!’’ Logan roars behind me, while dragging me back towards his body. I kick my legs around, trying to land a hit between his legs again, but to no avail.

He’s a grown man, I’m not beating him in a fist fight any time soon. His hand shoots to pull the gun out of my hand, but I turn my arm out of reach.

Then—a kick to my back.

Pain explodes through me as my face hits the wall of the grave, wet dirt clings to my face.

I gasp for air, trying to roll over, but Logan is on top of me now, his hands closing around my throat.

He’s choking me.

Is this motherfucker seriously strangling a seventeen-year-old girl?!

His grip on my throat hardens as I try to breathe in. Kicking him has no effect on his tight hold. I claw at his hands, but his grip tightens. My legs thrash, uselessly. Black spots dot my vision. My lungs burn. I want to call out for Damon, but nothing can escape my throat anymore.

Suddenly I feel the weight of the gun still in my grip, fuck I have no other choice. With my last strength, I rip my arm in front of my towards Logan’s face, and pull the trigger.

BANG!

I take a big gasp of air as I feel something wet splatter on my face, ew, a little got in my mouth.

“Elena!” A voice shouts above me.

Damon, his face appears over the edge of the grave, eyes wild with panic. His gaze darts from Logan’s motionless body to me. I reach out my hand towards him. ‘’Little help?’’ my unnaturally calm voice rings in my ear.

Damon doesn’t hesitate and pulls me up from the grave, now the home of two bodies instead of one. His hands cup my blood-streaked face., ‘’Are you okay?’’ he breathes out.

Am I okay? I definitely just killed someone. My ribs are on fire, and I think there’s still blood in my mouth. “Uh, probably a bruised rib. Nothing bad,” I try to joke. Then immediately groan in pain. ‘’Scratch that, broken rib.’’.

Damon’s expression darkens. He raises his wrist to his mouth—then bites down.Gross. He then puts his wrist in front of my face, ‘’Drink.’’ His strong words don’t leave a lot of room for debate.

I sigh. Fuck it. Beats a hospital visit.

I lean forward, pressing my lips to his wrist. His blood is warm, thick, and still tastes like absolute shit.

As I drink, my eyes flick up to his. Damon is watching me. His expression is soft, but his eyes are still clouded with worry.

When I finally pull away, I don’t even bother wiping my mouth—Logan’s blood already covers the rest of my face.

‘’How long until it kicks in?’’ I ask in a soft voice. Before Damon answers he picks me up bridal style, calm down there buddy. I give him a ‘the fuck are you doing’ look.

He chuckles, “Relax, princess. It takes a minute to work. I’m taking you back to the boarding house. You might wanna wash up.”’ a small smile appears on his face as he scans over mine.

I glance back towards the grave, fuck I still have to get the grimoire, and also cover up another murder, fuck. Damon follows my gaze. “I’ll take care of it,” he assures me, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. “You just focus on not dying.”

Chapter Text

God, I just had the weirdest dream. I had to fistfight Jenna’s ugly ex-boyfriend to save my vampire enemy from getting shot to death. I stretch my legs under the covers and roll over to grab my phone from the nightstand.

When I open my eyes, my usually white IKEA nightstand has turned black and twice its size. My brows furrow. Turning my head, I realize I’m lying in a massive king-sized bed with white silk sheets. The walls are lined with reddish oak, and a kilim-style rug peeks out from beneath the bed.

This is definitely not my room—but it does feel familiar. I glance down, half-expecting my blood-covered shirt from earlier. Thankfully instead, I find myself in a long, dark dress shirt that nearly reaches my knees.

I take my thankfulness back when I realize someone changed my clothes while I was unconscious. Seriously, do these people not know what consent means?

Loud yelling from downstairs pulls me from my thoughts. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, my bare feet sinking into the soft rug, and make my way toward the door. Slowly, I twist the knob and peek outside.

The scenery in front of me is more familiar, I take a step forward and peek over the wooden balcony of the boarding house.

“She could’ve died, Damon!” Stefan’s voice rings through the living room. Even from here, I can hear the barely restrained anger in it.

“How was I supposed to know the wannabe vampire slayer was patrolling the woods, huh?” Damon shouts back. Fair point. Without that ridiculous vampire compass, they shouldn’t have had a clue where the Salvatores were. It was just dumb luck for Logan to be patrolling that particular part of the woods—luck that ran out fast.

Before I can fully take in the scene, a force collides into my side, knocking the wind out of me. “OH MY GOD, ELENA! YOU’RE OKAY! I WAS SO WORRIED.”

I glance to my left and see a mess of blonde hair pressed against my shoulder. Caroline. I place a hand on her back, returning the hug. “Did you really think Logan fucking Fell could take me down?” I giggle.

A shift in the air behind me makes me release Caroline. I turn, my eyes locking onto Stefan’s. His gaze sweeps over me, his brows knitting together, and a mix of worry and relief shows on his face. My heart rate goes up as I remember the lack of clothes I’m wearing at the moment.

‘’How are you feeling, Elena?’’ His voice is soft, careful.

“Uh, all good. Just a bit cold.” I glance down at my bare legs, shifting awkwardly.

“Oh!” Caroline pipes up behind me. “You can borrow some of mine. Your stuff is still drying.” She speeds off before I can protest.

I chuckle. “Looks like Caroline’s getting the hang of the whole vampire thing.”

Stefan smiles, ‘’She’s a fast learner, although she did complain the whole time while hunting.’’ he shakes his head slightly.

His expression darkens. “I heard that you had to shoot the man that attacked Damon.” He steps closer, his voice quieter. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Elena.” At this point our chests are just moments away from touching.

‘’If you ever want to talk about it, I’m always here for you.’’ he gently says

I give a soft smile, ‘’Thanks Stefan, I appreciate it. I don’t really know about how I feel about all of it yet, but I might take up your offer another time.’’

Truthfully I have no idea how I feel about killing an actual person yet, I mean it was definitely self-defence, right? And actually in the show, when Logan turned, he killed a bunch of people. So I actually saved more people than I killed.

Ah who am I kidding, I also genuinely didn’t give a fuck about Logan. At this point he was still more of a TV character to me than an actual person anyway.

I see Stefan nod in response, ‘’So- uh, why were you digging up my father’s grave exactly?’’ he questions.

I awkwardly chuckle and move my eyes to the ground, ugh why didn’t Damon explain all of this already. ‘’Emily’s spellbook is buried there, I need the daylight ring spell in it, for Caroline.’’

‘’Oh shit, I still have to get it before Bonnie gets out of school.’’ I sigh and throw my head back. God I don’t really feel like digging the grimoire out of a blood covered casket.

Stefan nods, though his eyes linger on mine like he wants to say more. Before he can, someone clears their throat behind us.

I turn to find Damon leaning against the staircase railing, smirking—but there’s something different in his expression. His usual glibness is still there, but his eyes flicker with something else. Before I can say anything, I notice the book in his hands. Emily’s grimoire.

“I took care of the body too. You’re welcome.” He extends the book toward me.

I blink, surprised. I expected him to make me grovel or, at the very least, tease me first. “Thanks, Damon. And—uh, how are you feeling? After getting shot and all?” Six bullets to your body must hurt like a bitch, even for a vampire.

He chuckles, but his smirk softens. “Fresh as a daisy.” Then, his eyes roam over me, stopping at my ribs. “How are you feeling?” His voice dips into something more serious.

A smirk tugs at my lips. “Damon Salvatore, showing concern? Did Logan give you some brain damage with that last shot?”

Damon steps closer, closing the space between us just enough to make my breath hitch. “Don’t worry, still the same old evil me.” His smirk falters, just slightly. “I might’ve felt a little bad if you got yourself killed because of me, though.” His voice is light, teasing.

Before I can react, Caroline barrels back into the hallway with an armful of clothes. “I couldn’t pick just one outfit, so here—” She shoves the massive pile into my arms, nearly toppling me over.

I peek over the clothes pile toward her, ‘’Thanks Care, I’ll give them back after I return from Bonnie’s grams.’’ my voice is muffled by a pink shirt pressing against my mouth.

‘’Oh-’’ almost forgot, ‘’Care can I get one of your rings? I need it for the daylight ring spell.’’

Caroline’s eyes shoot open, she probably just overheard mine and Stefans conversation. ‘’OMG, I almost forgot to thank you-’’ She jumps toward me for a hug, the huge mountain of clothes, plus Caroline’s weight now actually makes me topple over. But just before my feet fully shoot off the ground, I feel a strong hand support my back and slowly push me straight. Before I can think about who’s hand it was, Caroline speaks up again, ‘’-and that was so dangerous! Next time wait for me, I totally would’ve punched that Logan asshole through a tree!’’ The tone of her voice is way too serious to be coming out of her mouth.

I chuckle, definitely not the person I would’ve expected to lecture me, but I’ll take it. ‘’I promise I’ll wait for you next time Care, can I get dressed now, I feel a little naked?’’ I mumble the last part.

She springs back and gasps, ‘’Of course Lena, good luck later. But uh- why are you going to Bonnie’s gram to get a daylight ring for me?’’ She cocks her head questioning.

Oh yeah, only Stefan and Damon are aware of the whole Bennet witch thing, might as well fill in Caroline as well. ‘’Her grams is a witch Care, only witches can make daylight rings.’’ I state

I barely see Caroline’s face change into a state of shock, ‘’A witch! Does that make Bonnie a witch too? Why didn’t she ever tell us, that’s so rude. Wait, did she tell you and not me? That’s even-’’ She rambles.

‘’Care, calm down. I know it’s a lot to take in, I’ll explain more when I get okay? And don’t worry Bonnie didn’t tell me, I figured it out myself.’’ I interrupt before Caroline blabbers until it’s 4 pm.

She lets out a breath, ‘’Okay, okay, good luck Lena, I’m going to process this until you get back.’’ she nods and makes her exit from the hallway.

I know notice the still lingering presence of the Salvatore brothers still standing next to me, ‘’So- uh I’m gonna change and head out, see you guys later.’’ I move back towards the room I woke up in.

“Elena, wait.” Stefan’s voice rings out from behind me, ‘’Yeah?’’ I glance back.

‘’Let me go with you.’’ his face still has some worry plastered upon it.

My face turns a little questioning, I don’t think Bonnie’s grandma is the biggest fan of vampires, definitely can’t blame her.

I arch a brow, ‘’Witches and vampires don’t really get along, right?’’

I hear Damon chuckle, ‘’Depends on the witch, some really like vampires.’’ His grin widens mischievously.

I wrinkle my nose. “Ew.”

‘’I’ve met Sheila before, I don’t think she would mind.’’ Stefan thankfully chimes in with something more normal.

Well yeah, I think they met sometime in the 80s, but I don’t think Sheila really liked Stefan after that. Stefan’s eyes stay focussed on my face, the part of my face peeking out must’ve still had a hesitant look on it.

‘’I’d feel better about your safety if I was there with you.’’ He breathes out.

I doubt it was a fun sight when I came bloodied and broken to the boarding house, in the arms of Damon no least. When Caroline hugged me for the first time it felt like she thought I was dead. A guilty pang hits my stomach when I think about it.

I nod, ‘’Okay, I’ll be out in a minute.’’ I turn around and now actually make way towards my temporary bedroom.

When I close the door, I faintly hear Stefan and Damon discuss something. This time they aren’t yelling their lungs out, so without vampire hearing, I can’t make out what they’re saying.

Chapter Text

Suburban houses blur past as I stare out at the streets of Mystic Falls. Stefan offered to drive us, which was a relief, since I still hadn’t figured out where Bonnie Grandma actually lived.

A calm silence lingers in the car, but every so often, I feel Stefan’s gaze flickering toward me, burning into my back.

I turn from the window and grin at him. “Do you have something to say, or do you just really like my shirt?”

His eyes meet mine for a second before he quickly refocuses on the road, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Caught.

“Uh-” He clears his throat. “I was just wondering, why did you ask Damon for help with the grimoire?”

I raise a brow. “Does that mean: why didn’t I ask you for help with the grimoire?”

He chuckles. “Yeah.”’

I sigh, leaning my head against the window. “I don’t know. It sounds childish, but I’m still mad at you for the stunt you pulled at the Founder’s Party.’’ Man I hate serious conversations, but I also don’t want to feel annoyed every time I look at Stefan.

His brows knit together. “It’s not childish, Elena. You have every right to be mad. I’m the reason you had to turn Caroline.” His grip on the steering wheel tightens.

I shake my head, “Nah, that’s mostly Damon’s fault.” I mean at the end of the day, Damon is a grown man. Stefan is not responsible for Damon’s actions, just because he turned him more than a hundred years ago, doesn’t negate Damon’s own responsibility.

He exhales, tension still lining his features.

“Maybe, like, ten percent your fault,” I add teasingly. That earns a quiet laugh from him, his grip on the wheel finally loosening.

“I’m mad that you didn’t trust me or my plan enough,” I continue, voice softer now. “If you thought it sucked, you could’ve just told me. Instead, you went behind my back, and I was completely blindsided.” I sigh. I could’ve prevented Caroline from leaving the carwash, or just jailbroke Damon out myself. But thinking about it, I definitely don’t have enough plot armour for that last one yet.

I sigh, glancing outside as the car slows. When I turn back, I see Sheila's house—a charming, red-bricked home decorated with white wooden trims, blending in with the rest of the block.

Stefan’s voice pulls me back. “You seemed so proud when you found the necklace. And, for what it’s worth, it wasn’t a terrible plan. I just didn’t trust Damon to keep up his end of the bargain. He loses all rationale when it comes to Katherine, and I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt.”

His tone is careful, but his expression is pained.

I lean forward, resting my arm on the center console. “That’s a nice sentiment, Stefan, but if I don’t know what’s going on, I’m even more in danger. If I had never known about vampires at all, Damon could’ve toyed with me just as much as he did with Caroline.” I breathe out. God when I say it like that, I realise that perhaps I should’ve really given Caroline some vervain before the Salvatores came into town. But then again, would Damon have just killed her if he couldn’t feed from her? I don’t think I like the answer to that question.

“Elena-” Stefan starts, but I hold up a finger.

“Just one sec, getting my last point out,” I interrupt, sitting up straighter. “I get that I don’t know as much as you do about vampires, but if we’re gonna be friends, I don’t want you treating me like a little kid, okay?”

I nod, satisfied with my argument. Especially since, you know, I’m not a kid. Also, kind of weird that a hundred-something-year-old vampire fell for a seventeen-year-old, but maybe that’s just me.

Stefan watches me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before he finally nods. “You’re right. It’s not fair to leave you out of things that directly affect you.” He softly shakes his head.

Then, in a gesture that catches me off guard, he reaches across the divider and takes my hands in his. His touch is gentle. “Elena, I promise that from now on, I’ll always be honest with you.” His voice is serious, his green eyes holding mine.

My surprised face then morphs into a small smirk, Stefan, I promise that next time I have to dig up a grave, you’ll be the first person I call.”

He huffs a laugh, his expression easing into something lighter. “Good. I’ll keep a shovel ready.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

After I ring the doorbell, I instinctively check my phone—just past 3 PM. Still some time before Bonnie gets back. As I shove my phone into my pocket, the door creaks open.

“Elena, I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

Bonnie’s grandmother, Sheila, steps forward and pulls me into a warm hug. But as I return it, I feel her stiffen.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school right now?” She pulls back, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

An awkward laugh escapes me. Right. There are still adults in this town who actually care about things like school and education.

“Well—uh—I came by because…” I stammer. How the hell do I explain all of this? Okay, just start with: Can I have a daylight ring, pretty please?

Sheila chuckles softly, her gaze shifting past me to Stefan.

“Don’t worry, honey. I can assume what kind of matter brought you to my doorstep.”

She places a gentle hand on my back. “Go on in, I’d like to have a word with your friend here.” Her attention shifts fully to Stefan.

I glance at him, a flicker of worry on my face. He meets my gaze, offering a small, reassuring nod. With that, I step inside, leaving the two supernaturals to their discussion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

A few minutes later, Sheila and Stefan join me at the kitchen table. She takes the seat across from me, while Stefan stands at my right. When I look up at him, he’s wearing an I told you so smirk. I roll my eyes. Yeah, yeah, you’ve got that vampire charm, Mister Salvatore.

Sheila leans forward, folding her arms on the table. “So, what can I do for you, Elena?” She offers a warm smile.

I swallow, nerves buzzing in my chest. “Well, the thing is… Caroline got turned into a vampire, and I thought you might be able to help make her a daylight ring.” I pull a small silver band from my pocket, its three tiny diamonds catching the light, and place it on the table.

Sheila hums, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t know the spell from memory. I’d need a grimoire with the daylight ring enchantment.”

I perk up, pulling a thick, well-worn book from my bag. “Good thing I happened to stumble upon Emily Bennett’s grimoire, which conveniently has the spell.” A proud grin spreads across my face.

Sheila takes the book with careful hands, flipping through the aged pages. “And how is Caroline handling the transition?” she asks, glancing at Stefan.

“She’s adapting fast,” Stefan replies. “Showing more restraint than most newborns. I think having a daylight ring would help her adjust—let her keep some normalcy.”

Despite his words, Sheila still looks uncertain.

“I get why you’d worry,” I chime in quickly. “Especially about Bonnie. She doesn’t know yet, but to be fair, Caroline doesn’t know she’s a witch either. Care wanted to wait until she had more control. We’d tell Bonnie right away if Caroline got a daylight ring.”

Sheila’s gaze shifts back to me. “Bonnie has a hard time accepting what’s happening to her. It might help to talk to a friend who’s going through something similar.”

I nod. “I was planning to give her some vervain, just in case.”

Sheila chuckles. “Oh, don’t worry about that, dear. I’ve got enough vervain stockpiled to take down a horde of vampires.” She raises an eyebrow at Stefan, who pointedly ignores her.

“Alright,” she continues, “I’ll help you with the daylight ring. But on one condition—I keep the grimoire. It’s a family heirloom, after all.”

I nod without hesitation. “Yeah, of course. I was hoping it would help Bonnie too.” And not just because I want to use her as a human spell machine.

“Great. Now, Stefan—would you mind stepping outside for a moment? I need to speak with Elena alone.”

Stefan hesitates, his gaze flicking to me. This time, I give him an encouraging nod. With a final glance, he steps out, leaving me alone with Sheila.

I shift in my seat. What could she possibly want to talk about without Stefan? Maybe how we should take out Damon? Wouldn’t blame her for that. Or maybe she’s going to tell me to talk to Bonnie.

I mean, how do you even start that conversation? Hey, so are you a witch? Because Caroline’s a vampire and so are the Salvatores. Sorry we didn’t tell you shit for months.

Sheila reaches across the table, placing her hands gently over mine. “So… who are you?”

Her piercing stare makes my stomach drop.

“Uh—” A nervous laugh bubbles up, my voice cracking slightly. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes narrow. HOW THE HELL DOES SHE KNOW BUT NOT ELENA’S OWN FAMILY? Okay, not-Elena, focus. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t body-swap with dark magic. I’m not some soul-sucking traveler.

“I didn’t steal her body,” I blurt out. “I just… got dropped in it.” My heartbeat pounds in my ears. “I swear, I’m not some black-magic-wielding witch or anything.”

Sheila’s eyes widen with concern. “Calm down, honey. I’m not accusing you of anything. Just take a deep breath.”

I do as she says, exhaling shakily. “Okay, so… a few months ago, I woke up in Elena Gilbert’s body. I have no idea why or how. I’ve just been using her diary to figure out how to blend in.”

Sheila hums, her face thoughtful. “It sounds like a very powerful witch performed a body-switching spell.”

“So… does that mean Elena is in my body?” I ask, dread creeping in. That would really suck. At least I know how to speak English. Pretty sure they don’t teach anything but Spanish in her school.

Sheila shakes her head. “It depends on the spell. Some body-swaps kill the original host. Others leave them dormant inside their new body.”

I scoff. “Great. And I’m guessing you don’t know how to reverse it?”

A sympathetic expression crosses her face. “I’m sorry. The witches that I knew who were able to do this… they’re long gone.”

I let my forehead drop onto the table. Fantastic. So I really do have to deal with all the upcoming Katherine and Originals bullshit. No offence Elena, but I’d rather have you deal with it than me.

I regain my composure and sit straight up, ‘’Are you going to tell Bonnie?’’ I nervously question. She’s going to fucking hate me if she found out. She’s known Elena her whole life, like hell she isn’t going to hex me when it turns out a stranger is in her best friend's body.

‘’I don’t think it’d be helpful to tell Bonnie right now, she already has trouble accepting her supernatural side.’’

I breathe a sigh of relief, thank god, if Bonnie found out she’d probably tell Caroline. And she’d tell Stefan, which leaves me completely on my own to deal with all the supernatural bullshit of Elena Gilbert.

Sheila’s expression darkens, ‘’But she might figure it out on her own in the future, witches have a talent for sensing the essence of people. Any experienced witch can feel that your essence doesn’t match your appearance.’’ she stresses.

‘’Fun.’’ I scoff, my head turns towards the door. Did Stefan listen to all of that? I mean I think he’d be above eavesdropping but if he wanted to check on me he just-

‘’He can’t hear anything.’’ Sheila’s words snap me out of my thoughts, ‘’Witches have found a lot of ways to beat vampire parlor tricks.’’ She gives a small grin.

‘’But I’ll spell the ring for you now, I trust you to watch out for Caroline.’’ I see her eyes travel over the pages of the grimoire as she searches for the right spell.

I stretch my hands out in front of me, the sunlight gleams on one of Elena’s rings. A double banded silver ring with a stone almost as blue as Damon’s eyes sits in the middle.

‘’Uh.., would you mind spelling two rings?’’ I mumble, having an extra one for emergencies wouldn’t hurt right?

Sheila pauses, then shoots me a look. “Are you planning on turning?”

I shake my head, even if I wanted to. A certain original with daddy issues prevents me from doing so. ‘’No, not soon anyway. I just want to have all of my options open.’’

Her eyes go back to the book, ‘’Fine, I suppose it’s the least I can do for you, with the situation you’ve found yourself in.’’

With a small grateful smile, I take the ring off and slide it next to Caroline’s across the table.

Chapter Text

Explaining to Jenna why now two of her charges are skipping school had been an absolute blast. Thankfully I could play the, helping Caroline get over her crazy-ex boyfriend, card. I suppose some memories of her break up with Logan resurfaced, and she let me off with a small lecture.

Anyway, I was actually helping Caroline. I think she spent a solid five hours lying in the sun after I gave her the daylight ring. But not before nearly crushing me to death as a thank-you.

This morning, Bonnie called, saying she wanted to talk about something important— aka, she was finally ready to spill her witchy secret. Which, honestly, was a great excuse to drag her into Mystic Falls’ daily supernatural drama. Right after that, I rang up Caroline to schedule our secret intervention at my place.

I glance at the clock on my nightstand. They should be arriving any—

Ding

I rush downstairs, hoping Bonnie got here first so I can explain why Caroline’s joining us. If Caroline made it first, I’d just... hide her in my closet?

I pull open the door and—great. A very confused and annoyed Bonnie is standing there. Right next to a very awkwardly smiling Caroline.

Bonnie crosses her arms. “You came back from your weird, impromptu visit to your aunt and didn’t tell me?” Her gaze flicks to me, narrowing in frustration. “And you knew? Why didn’t you tell me anything, Elena?”

I hold my hands out in front of me, ‘’Bonnie, I totally get why you’re mad. Please come in, then I’ll explain anything.’’ I step aside to let the two girls into my house.

Bonnie sighs, then stomps past me upstairs. ‘’She doesn’t hate us, right?’’ Caroline awkwardly cuckles. She hovers for a moment behind the door threshold, then confidently steps over it and makes her way to my room.

‘’I hope not.’’ I softly mumble, closing the door and following the girls.

When I step into my room, I find Caroline stiffly perched on my bed while Bonnie leans against the dresser, arms crossed.

Awkward

I clear my throat. “We’ve all been going through a lot lately, and I think it’s time we... share some things we might’ve been keeping from each other.” I glance between them, but neither meets my eye.

I sigh. “I’ll go first, then. I’ve known about the supernatural for about a year. My parents told me vampires were real, and that our town has some nasty history with them. That history includes the Salvatores—who happen to be vampires themselves.”

Caroline sends me a grateful look, clearly relieved I broke the supernatural ice for her. Bonnie, on the other hand, looks completely horrified.

“Wait—vampires are real?” Her voice rises in panic. “And why didn’t you tell us?” Her frantic gaze shifts to Caroline. “And you—you’re not even freaking out, Caroline?!”

Caroline stiffens. If she could still sweat, she totally would be. She takes a deep breath. “Well... I’m not freaking out because... I’m kinda, like, am one?” She drags out the words, raising her shoulders in a small shrug.

Bonnie’s face drops. “You’re a vampire and you didn’t tell me?!” She pushes off the dresser, stepping between us. “Was that why you left? I was worried sick about your breakup, and all along you were just hiding this from me?” She throws her hands up in exasperation.

I arch a brow and clear my throat. Bonnie spins to face me.

“Didn’t you come here to discuss a certain secret of your own?” I ask, pointedly

Bonnie’s jaw tightens. Her eyes flick to the ground before shooting back up to me. “I suppose I haven’t been completely honest either.” She sighs and drops onto the bed beside Caroline. “Everything my Grams told me... it’s true. I—I’m a witch.”

I take a step forward toward Bonnie, ‘’I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything before, at first, I just thought you’d both think I was crazy. But you deserve the truth, especially from your friend, so I promise to tell you everything from now on.’’ I smile.

I’m such a fucking liar. Good thing I’m a convincing one. Telling her I’ll always be honest while lying about my own identity? What a joke.

Caroline nods along enthusiastically. “Yeah, what Lena said! And I’m super sorry about the whole vampire thing—I just needed to get everything under control first.” She throws herself onto Bonnie in a hug.

Bonnie waves me over to join. Smiling, I launch myself at them, sending us toppling onto the bed.

Bonnie giggles. “I forgive you guys. But I am gonna need an update on this vampire thing. Are we talking Twilight or Dracula?”

We disband our hug and lie back against the pillows.

Caroline groans. “God, I wish I sparkled. Without this ring, I’d just burn to death. So gross.” She sticks out her ringed hand dramatically.

Bonnie turns to me. “So... Stefan and Damon. Are they, like, good vampires?”

I scoff. “Stefan’s kinda like Edward—doesn’t drink human blood, doesn’t hurt people. Damon, on the other hand...” I groan.

Caroline chimes in. “Is a total dick. And also the one who killed me. You should definitely stay away from him, Bon.”

I see Bonnie’s eyes go wide, ‘’And we’re all just okay with letting him wander about town?’’

I shake my head, ‘’Speaking from experience, that’s easier said than done.’’

Instead of Bonnie’s look turning to despair, it fills with determination. ‘’I promise, I’ll learn a spell to blow his head off.’’

I turn to Caroline and we burst out laughing due to Bonnie’s seriousness.

‘’I’m being serious!’’ Bonnie tries to chime in but also succumbs to laughter.

After a couple minutes of silence while we catch our breath, Caroline speaks up. ‘’Anyway to change to subject, did you know some strange blond girl moved into the boarding house?’’ She says in a tone she only uses for a good gossip session.

I turn to her, ‘’Another victim of Damon?’’ I sigh

Caroline shakes her head. “Nope. She’s a vampire. And way too close to Stefan. If you catch my drift.”

Lexi, it's time to prevent another death. I’ve really been doing such a great job at that lately.

Wait. Lexi was here for Stefan’s birthday, right? Shit, I didn’t get him a present.

What do you even get a hundred-something-year-old vampire?

Blood? Terrible option for Stefan.

Daylight ring? Katherine already beat me to it.

Fuck anything he wants he can just compell it, and I so don’t have time to make something nice from scratch.

Vampires do still like to eat, right? I’ll make him a fucking birthday cake, in the show he didn’t have a fucking birthday cake.

God, another amazing idea from me.

After some great mental discussion with myself, I focus back on Caroline.

Her eyes narrow in seriousness. ‘’You should totally go over there and claim Stefan back! Don’t let that blond bimbo steal him from under your nose.’’

A deadpan look appears on my face, ‘’Claim him back? What am I, a dog?’’

A mischievous smile flies over Caroline’s face, ‘’No, but you still want his bone.’’ she grins.

I give her a shove with my hips, ‘’Care! Ew.’’

‘’Well she is kinda right, you do like him a little, right?’’ Bonnie’s soft voice joins in.

Do I like Stefan? I mean he is hot as shit, can’t argue with that. Setting aside the couple days I wanted to stab him, I really like being around him.

I sigh, ‘’I don’t know, it’s all so complicated. With the whole vampire thing, and his evil psycho brother.’’ I smack the back of my head against the pillow

‘’What’s so complicated? Girl likes boy, boy likes girl, sex.’’ Caroline slowly nods.

‘’Profound.’’ Me and Bonnie chime in together. Although, I’d be lying if a part of me hasn't thought about what vampire sex would be like.

Bonnie continues, ‘’I get it Elena, feelings are complicated and him being a vampire only worsens that. You should just take it slow, he isn’t getting any older anyway.’’ she giggles.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

After some more girl, witch and vampire talk, Bonnie and Caroline went home. Caroline was planning on calling her mom to explain that she’d be home tomorrow, before some random person spots her on the streets of Mystic Falls.

Bonnie, who had taken her mission to explode Damon’s head pretty seriously, went to her Grams to practice with her new grimoire.

I, on the other hand, am currently covered in flour and I think some egg. But it feels totally worth it when I stare at the light pink cake with strawberries on top in front of me.

‘’Looks good, who’s it for?’’ Jenna compliments as she walks into the kitchen.

A cloud of flour floats from my hair as I turn toward her, ‘’Stefan’s birthday, totally forgot so the cake has to make up for the lack of an actual present.’’

‘’When are you going to make a cake like that for me?’’ She smiles as she takes a seat at the table in front of me.

I scoff, ‘’When I forget your birthday.’’ Which I probably will, since that information was not shared in the show or Elena’s diary.

‘’Can you make an exception for getting dumped?’’ She sighs, her head resting on her hand.

‘’Logan? Good riddance, you were way out of his league.’’ I laugh. Alaric is such a better match for her, I think I did everyone a favor killing that loser.

She groans, ‘’I seriously got an email saying ‘I’m leaving town, see you’, the coward couldn’t even say it to my face.’’

Sheesh Damon, I thought your cover ups would be a little more tactful. Ah, better then nothing, I guess.

‘’I’ll make a celebratory cake tomorrow, you’re a free woman who can date non-assholes now.’’ I smile

She returns it, ‘’Thanks Elena, little tip though. Maybe shower before giving it to him.’’ her eyes look over my disheveled appearance.

‘’And clean up the kitchen.’’ She finishes as she takes her leave. I turn around and notice that the wooden cabinets are in fact all covered with flour, pink dye, cake batter or all three.

‘’Ah shit.’’ I sigh, while ripping off my apron.

Chapter Text

For what feels like the hundredth time, I knock on the heavy wooden door of the Salvatore Boarding House, balancing a small cardboard box between my arms. Inside, a pink cake sits—probably not the most impressive birthday gift, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

"It's open, come on in!" A smooth female voice calls from inside.

I push against the door and step into the grand yet eerily empty living room.

"Oh. My. God."

The voice comes from my left. When I turn, I’m met with a girl—long golden hair cascading over her shoulders, barely covered by a scarlet towel. Her slightly round face is frozen in shock, wide eyes darting over me as if trying to make sense of what she's seeing.

"How—uh? Who—?" Her head tilts, confusion settling in. Right, almost forgot that she probably knows what Katherine looks like.

I offer a polite smile and extend my hand. "Elena Gilbert. Friend of Stefan."

She blinks, then takes my hand, her expression shifting from horrified to friendly. "Lexi. Also a friend of Stefan’s. He’s told me a lot about you—nice to finally meet you."

I chuckle. "Only good things, I hope. Speaking of Stefan, is he here?"

Lexi points toward the stairs. "Oh, he’s in the shower. You wanna wait?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to drop off his birthday present." I hold up the box.

Lexi’s smile widens. "He’ll love that. I’ll go let him know you’re here."

Before she turns, she suddenly pauses. "Oh! Almost forgot—Damon’s throwing a party at the Grill tonight for Stefan. You coming?"

Damon throwing a party for Stefan? Yeah, right. Even though Lexi probably has some suspicions of her own, she seems genuinely excited.

‘’Yeah sure, I’ll be there.’’ I smile

‘’Great!’’ She exclaims, then makes her way upstairs.

I make my way over the living room, only to notice it isn’t so empty anymore. Damon’s signature raven hair peeks from behind the couch, his legs stretched out over the coffee table, a glass of liquor in his hand.

I set the cake box down and drop into the chair across from him. "Why are you throwing a party for Stefan?" My eyes narrow.

Damon smirks, looking up from his glass. "Well, good day to you too, Elena. And as for the party—am I not allowed to throw my little brother a fun birthday bash?"

I scoff. "Not if it has anything to do with whatever big evil plan you're cooking up."

His smirk widens. "Only big evil vampires get access to those plans." He gives me a slow once-over. "You, unfortunately, don’t make the cut. Sorry."

A small grin appears on my face, "What if I remind a certain evil vampire that I saved his ass from getting shot? Which means he owes me one."

Damon sets his drink down with an amused huff. "Fair point. But are you sure you wanna waste that favor on this? I’ve got way juicier secrets." He wiggles his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes and sink deeper into the soft chair, ‘’I am, now spill.’’

He leans forward, lazily swirling the liquid in his glass. "I know you’re aware of the little anti-vampire council here in Mystic Falls?"

I nod. At this point in the show, he should’ve already started worming his way into Mrs. Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes' good graces.

"They've been getting... active lately," Damon continues, "on account of all the dead bodies popping up."

I give him a pointed look. "Yeah. Because of you."

He shrugs. "Rude to point fingers, Elena. Anyway, they’re on the warpath. Which is why knock-off Buffy almost killed us."

"So you’re throwing a party to lower suspicion? Shouldn’t the fact that you and Stefan walk around in broad daylight be proof enough?" I glance at the gaudy silver ring on his hand.

He sighs, throwing his head back. "That’s what I thought. Until Sheriff Forbes floated the idea that vampires might be able to walk in the sun."

Aight so now I have to smoothly transition to the part where he tries to murder one of Stefan’s friends to solve a problem he started.

I fold my arms. "One party won’t erase suspicion."

Damon smirks. "That’s right."

"Which means the party isn’t just about that." I hum thoughtfully, playing up the act. "So… what else does the party accomplish?" A very well played, fake contemplating look makes its way onto my face.

"You’re planning to kill a vampire. In front of some council members. If they see a vampire die, they’ll assume they got the right one—and stop looking."

Damon grins, looking almost proud. "Ten points to Elena. Nice work, Nancy Drew."

I push forward. "There are only four vampires in Mystic Falls right now—you, Stefan, Caroline, and Lexi. You wouldn’t kill yourself, and despite all your threats, you wouldn’t kill Stefan." Damon rolls his eyes at that last part.

"Killing Caroline in front of her mom? Not the smartest move. So that leaves…" I trail off, watching his face darken. "Lexi. You’re planning to stake her tonight."

Damon’s previously proud look now turns a little darker, ‘’Good deduction, but if you tell Stefan or Lexi of my little evil plan. I’ll kill you, obviously.’’ His voice is light, almost playful—but the edge behind it is real.

He pulls his feet off the coffee table and copies my position as he leans forward on the couch. At this stage I still don’t know how realistic his threats are against me, better safe than sorry. I suppose I gotta figure this one out myself.

I nod my head, ‘’Yeah, yeah I won’t squeal. But killing Stefan’s best friend on his birthday is pretty low, even for you, Damon.’’

He lets out a small laugh, ‘’Evil vampire,’’ he points to himself. ‘’Did you expect anything different?’’ he shrugs.

As another great idea pops in my head, a smirk appears on my face. ‘’A smarter plan, for starters.’’

Damon gives me a look, his eyes narrow in on mine. "Fine. I’ll bite. What’s your brilliant alternative?"

Got him.

‘’Well you could just turn some schmuck and kill him in front of the counsel, way easier than going after a vampire older than yourself.’’

Damon gasps, a hand shoots toward his heart as he feigns shock. "Elena Gilbert, are you seriously suggesting I sacrifice an innocent human for my evil schemes?"

I groan. "You are the last person who gets to lecture me on morality, Damon. So what do you say?"

He cocks his head while smirking, ‘’I’ll think about, Elena.’’

‘’Hey, Elena, what are you doing here?’’ A voice from my left joins in. When I turn my head I see Stefan standing at the entrance of the living room. Like Lexi, his hair is still dripping with water. Unlike Lexi he is actually wearing some clothes, unfortunately.

I push myself up off the couch and snatch the cake box from the table.

"Well, I had to find out through Caroline that you had a friend visiting for your birthday. First of all, rude. Second, I’m happy you have other friends besides me." I smirk while making my way over to him.

Yeah technically Caroline didn’t tell me, seeing as she was a little fired up about a new girl ‘stealing’ Stefan away from me. But I definitely can’t use the diary excuse to explain why I all of a sudden know his birthday.

Stefan chuckles. "After this many years, birthdays kind of lose their meaning."

I arch a brow, holding the box out. "So I assume you don’t want your birthday present, then?"

He clears his throat. "Never said that." Swiftly, he takes the box, lifting the lid to reveal the still-intact pink cake.

For a second, doubt creeps in. What if he thinks it’s lame?

"I only found out about your birthday a few hours ago," I admit, rubbing my arm. "This was the best I could do on short notice."

A warm smile spreads across Stefan’s face. "It’s amazing, Elena. Thank you."

I wave him off. "Ah, it was nothing." Not like I spent an hour scrubbing frosting out of my kitchen cabinets or anything.

Behind me, Damon groans. "If you two are gonna be all sappy, take it upstairs."

Stefan and I exchange a glance.

"Shut up, Damon," we say in unison.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

I lock my car and head toward the Grill. First, check if Damon has accepted my obviously superior and slightly less evil plan. Second, birthday shots with Lexi and Stefan—plus some embarrassing stories about Stefan’s past. Priorities.

The muffled thump of party music hums through the air as I scan the area. My steps slow when I spot a familiar tall, dark, and annoying vampire standing near the stairs leading—presumably—to the basement of the Grill. Damon, of course, clad in his signature leather jacket, is staring down with an expression of mild amusement.

I quicken my pace toward the vampire, then the sound of soft moans appear out of the stairway. I don’t know how horny you have to be to consider getting it on in a sticky bar stairwell. Gross.

"You do know there are entire websites for this now, right?" I whisper, stepping beside Damon. "No need to be a creep about it."

He turns his head, moonlight catching the smirk already forming on his lips. "Please. I’ve seen better technique in high school parking lots."

I shake my head, ‘’So what’s the plan?’’

He lets out a chuckle, nodding toward the scene below. "At this point, I’d be doing her a favor by killing her boyfriend. Sheesh, he’s dry-humping her like a dog in heat." He grimaces.

I give him a hard shove with my elbow, not like he’ll feel it anyway. ‘’I meant the whole killing a vampire plan, Damon.’’

He sighs, dramatically. "I suppose your plan might not be... terrible."

I smirk. "You can just admit mine’s better. No hard feelings."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "That just means I’m rubbing off on you. Soon enough, you’ll be making reckless, morally questionable decisions all on your own."

"Great. Can we just get to it? I don’t wanna miss the party."

He pivots toward me, grinning. "Your wish, my command." Then, in a blur, he’s gone.

A loud crack.

"AHHHHH!"

The loud yelling thankfully stops as fast as it started, I presume the sound I just heard was a neck snapping. I make my way to the opening of the stairs, peering down. Damon stands facing a girl with short, curly hair. She stands eerily still, compelled.

On the ground behind Damon, a male’s body lies with no blood in sight.

The moment I step onto the cement floor, Damon’s gaze flicks to me, red eyes flashing, dark veins crawling under them. "So," he muses, voice dripping with amusement, "is it more fun to make him drink from his girlfriend, or should we go with a random bystander?"

What a drama queen.

I sigh. "Or—and hear me out here—we could just give him a blood bag." My tone goes flat.

He clicks his tongue, eyeing me like I just ruined his fun. "Wow, way to suck the life out of murder. Pun intended."

I keep my unimpressed stare locked on him.

"Alright, fine. Blood bag it is. But if he still ends up ripping his girlfriend’s throat out, I get to say I told you so." he groans. Then walks toward me.

His eyes meet mine, ‘’I’ll get one out of my car, you babysit the idiots till I get back.’’

A gust of wind replaces his spot in front of me, I look back to the still catatonic girl and her undead boyfriend next to her.

‘’Fucking great.’’ I sigh
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

After a hot minute of waiting (how far did that motherfucker park his car?)I walk over to the corpse and bend down. How long should this take again? I think Caroline was at least out for ten minutes. What would kinda suck because I don’t wanna wait another eight minutes in the cold with arguably the worst company in the world.

Right before I move back up, I see the boy's eyes flash wide open.

‘’Wha— What happened to me?’’ he stutters, his eyes go over to the unmoving girl next to us. ‘’Samantha? Samantha, what’s wrong with you?’’

He scrambles to his feet, knocking me flat on my ass in the process.
Rude.
He moves to Samantha. Her eyes are still fixed in the same position, only her chest movements separate her from a doll.

I push myself up as the guy starts shaking his girlfriend, I walk behind him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey, dude, let’s just chill for a—"

Before I can finish my sentence he shrugs my hand off, ‘’WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!’’ He yells out, his eyes wide with panic.

My hand slowly goes toward the supernatural pepper spray in my pocket, ‘’She’s okay, she’s not hurt—’’

My words seem to matter very little as he turns back to Samantha, his eyes move over her body, I guess to check for injuries? Well thankfully he isn’t focussed on ripping my throat out anymore.

And—ah, shit, he’s ripping her fucking throat out now.

Samantha’s lifeless gaze stares straight ahead as her white top turns blood-red.

"DAMON!" I yell, eyes darting toward the stairs. Holy shit, how long does it take to grab one damn blood bag?!

"Shit, shit, shit," I mutter.

I have to fix this myself.

I take a deep breath and squeeze my hands together, at that moment I still feel the cold pepper spray container.

Finally a time to use it.

I step forward, throw my hand out and aim for the spot between Samantha’s neck and the baby vampire’s face. A cloud of vervain fills up the cement space.

The vampire howls, stumbling back as his skin sizzles from the herb’s burn. His hands claw at his face, trying to wipe it away.

Samantha’s body thuds onto the cement, finally free from the grip of her ex? boyfriend.

Remembering that your own safety always comes first, I make a run for it past the burning vampire.

but just as I pass him, a vice-like grip yanks me back.

My breath catches as I whip around. Fiery red eyes. Blood-smeared lips.

Oh, fantastic.

I raise the pepper spray for round two—

But wham—he slaps it from my hand.

"FUCK!" I yelp, and before I can move, he slams me against the cold wall.

His grip tightens around my wrists, tight enough to make me really consider how much I like my bones unbroken.

My heart pounds in my throat as two blood-covered fangs descend toward my neck.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

Waiting for the sting—

Nothing.

The grip on my wrist loosens. Something heavy hits the ground.

‘’Elena are you alright?’’ An older female voice yells out.

I slowly open my eyes and am met with the worried expression of Damon Salvatore, who definitely didn’t call my name out just now.

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and see a familiar blond looking woman staring my way.

‘’Sheriff Forbes?” I exclaim

Fingers brush my neck, guiding my attention back to Damon.

"She didn’t get bitten, she’s fine," he states, voice smooth and assured. His touch lingers a moment longer before he pulls his hand away.

Then he leans in so close I feel his breath in my ear. ‘’Play along.’’ He murmurs.

Oh yeah, for what sheriff Forbes is concerned, I’m just another almost-victim of a rogue vampire.

Adrenaline still surges through my veins. "W-what was that?!" I stammer, chest rising and falling dramatically.

Sheriff Forbes and Damon share a look and she steps closer, ‘’Oh, I’m so sorry this happened to you Elena. Let’s get you home and then we’ll explain everything.’’ Her kind voice even soothes my fake panic.

Damon slides a hand onto my lower back. "I’ll take her. You handle the clean-up."

Sheriff Forbes nods. "Thank you, Damon." She rubs a reassuring hand over my hair before murmuring into her walkie-talkie.

As soon as we reach the parking lot, Damon turns, scanning me over, brows furrowed.

"You can drop the act," I say, breathless but smirking. "No deputies watching."

He exhales, shaking his head slightly. "You do have a knack for nearly getting yourself killed. It’s almost impressive."

I narrow my eyes at him, ‘’Last time was totally your fault and you know it.’’

He grins, crossing his arms. "Good of you to admit this time was yours."

I scoff, ‘’Thanks for blaming me for my own almost-death.’’

He steps closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "You really thought I’d let some newbie vampire take a bite out of you? I’m almost offended."

‘’Well with how long you were taking with the bloodbag, I almost thought you abandoned me for your own evil schemes.’’ I tease as a small grin takes to my face.

He lets out a soft chuckle, eyes gleaming. "So, what I’m hearing is… you missed me?"

I roll my eyes and sarcastically hum, ‘’Of course Damon, what would I do without you.’’

I see his grin reappear and before he can send a either gross or annoying comeback I jump in. ‘’I’ll make my way back to the party now, obviously avoiding Sheriff Forbes. You coming?’’

Honestly I don’t know why I asked him to come with me, it’s not like he didn’t just cause two more deaths for the furthering of his own plans. Okay, to be fair, Samantha’s death may have been a tiny bit on me, but let’s not point fingers.

He glances back toward the building, sighing. "As fun as it sounds watching drunk teenagers grind on each other, I’ve got better things to do." He grins.

I chuckle, ‘’Sure Damon, have a good night.’’ I turn to make my way back to the Grill.

“Oh, and Elena?”

I pause and turn back toward him. “Yeah?”

His smirk grows even wider. “I told you so.”

Chapter Text

‘’Okay that new history teacher is total DILF.’’ Caroline tosses her hair over the shoulder as we walk outside.

My nose scrunches in disgust, ‘’Gross, Caroline. Also, he doesn’t even have kids.’’ Although you are going to change that in the future, still gross.
"At Least he’ll be a better teacher than Tanner, now I don’t have to experience PTSD when going to history anymore.’’ Bonnie chimes in

I frown. "Bonnie, the man died."

We reach one of the blue iron tables outside the school. I drop my bag beside the bench and take a seat.

Bonnie shrugs, unapologetic. "I’m not saying he deserved it, but let’s not pretend he wasn’t a massive asshole."

Having Alaric Saltzman finally join the rest of the cast is pretty refreshing, at least someone new that isn’t actively trying to kill me. Although he really doesn’t do much until his wife comes back. I think Damon kills him at least once before that though. Oh, and he helped save Stefan from the psychopathic tomb vampires, I’ll just torch the tomb this time after Damon finishes his mental breakdown over Katherine. Saves a lot of torture and an intervention for Stefan’s blood addiction.

‘’Anyway, I have some witch news to share, and it’s really freaking me out.’’ Bonnie’s eyes nervously dart between me and Caroline.

‘’You’re finally getting a black cat?’’

‘’You flew on a broomstick?’’

Me and Caroline chime in at the same time.

Bonnie groans, rubbing her temples. "Please take this seriously. It’s important."

We straighten up, giving her our best serious faces.

‘’So I’ve been having weird dreams about a girl lately..’’ Bonnie starts hesitantly.

Beside me, Caroline’s mouth opens—probably about to make some mildly homophobic joke—so I kick her shin under the table. She snaps her mouth shut. Good girl.

‘’They’ve been freaking me out a little, but lately I’ve been waking up somewhere else after these dreams.’’ Bonnie looks at us with a desperate look.

"Like?" Caroline prompts.

Bonnie’s voice drops slightly. "Last night, I woke up at the ruins of the old Fell Church. And then the girl—Emily—told me she was my ancestor from the Civil War era."

My time to chime in, ‘’Did she say what she wanted from you?’’

Bonnie nods. "I think so? She showed me this amber necklace and told me to find it. But I’ve never seen it before!" She whisper-yells, eyes wide.

Ah, shit. I thought if Bonnie never put that damn thing on, Emily would leave her alone. It would be so easy to just say I have no idea what she’s talking about… but I did promise to be more honest.

I sigh, ‘’Amber necklace, iron setting. About this big.’’ I gesture with my hands.

Bonnie leans in closer, ‘’You know it?’’

the serious look on my face deepens.‘’I know Damon has it, the necklace is spelled to open a old tomb beneath the old Fell church.’’

Caroline arches a questions eyebrow, ‘’Why would he need to open a tomb?’’

I fold my arms over the table. "Because his girlfriend got locked in it. Back in the 1800s."

Caroline gasps. "Girlfriend, as in Katherine? As in, also the former girlfriend of Stefan?"

I give her a flat look. "That’s really what you’re taking from this, Care?"

She nods furiously. "Yeah! You got lucky that Lexi was just his friend. What if he runs back to his creepy vampire ex?"

I shrug. "If he wants to be with her, that’s his choice. But I think he has better standards than a manipulative, soulless vampire bitch."

Caroline grins. "That’s very mature, Elena. Also, you’re obviously way hotter than that old hag."

I chuckle. Katherine and Elena are basically twins, but let’s be real—there’s always a hotter twin.

Bonnie groans, pulling us back on track. "Well, if Damon has the necklace, there’s no way I’m getting to it. But I don’t think Emily is going to like that answer."

"Have you talked to your Grams about it?" I ask.

Bonnie shakes her head. "No. She’ll just tell me to embrace it. But I don’t want to embrace it—I want it to stop." A frustrated breath escapes her lips.

A familiar head of messy brown hair catches my attention. Stefan Salvatore steps out of the school entrance, scanning the area.

He can help, right? At least explain a little about Emily. He knew her for a while.

I lift a hand and wave him over. "Stefan! Come here for a sec!"

Bonnie’s eyes widen in alarm. "What are you doing?" she hisses.

Stefan’s gaze meets mine, and he gives me a small smile as he makes his way toward us. I glance at Bonnie. "Just trust me."

"Hi," Stefan greets, stopping beside me. His eyes flick down to meet mine. "How are you?"

"Good. We just need your help with—"

"Nothing. It’s nothing!" Bonnie blurts, panic creeping into her voice. She widens her eyes at me in a silent plea: Don’t blab to everyone that I’m a witch with witch problems, please.

Oh yeah. She doesn’t know that the surname Bennett is basically a neon sign to any vampire worth their salt.

I clear my throat. "Bonnie, he knows you’re a witch. Stefan, she knows you’re a vampire. Cut the awkward pretending, please."

"You told him?!" Bonnie exclaims, barely staying in her seat.

I hold my hands up in defense. "I didn’t tell him anything. He already knew your grandma was a witch. And, y’know, being a witch tends to run in the family." From the corner of my eye I see Stefan nod in agreement.

Bonnie deflates. ‘’Oh.. sorry, Lena.’’ Bonnie mutters while awkwardly tucking a strand of hair back.

I pat the empty space on the bench beside me. Stefan gives me another small smile before sitting down. The smaller bench doesn’t leave much room, and I feel the weight of him press against my hip.

I quickly pick up the conversation before any vampire notices my heart rate change. "So, Bonnie is being haunted by her ancestor, Emily. She’s from the Civil War period. I wondered if you knew anything about her?"

Stefan nods. "She lived with us for a short while—Katherine’s handmaiden. She was a powerful witch who owed something to Katherine." He lifts his ringed hand. "She’s also the one who made Damon’s and my daylight rings."

His expression darkens slightly as he turns to Bonnie. "Emily wouldn’t contact you without an important reason. What has she told you?"

Bonnie sits up straight, ‘’She showed me some type of amber locket and told me to find it. Elena then explained that Damon is using it to free Katherine from some tomb.’’

Caroline presses her hands on the table and leans forward, "Okay, but real talk—how do you feel about your not-so-dead ex-girlfriend coming back into your life?" She eyes Stefan suspiciously, waiting for his reaction.

Stefan lets out a dry chuckle. "I don’t want Katherine back, Caroline. She’s the past." His eyes flicker to mine for a second. "But her coming back would put a lot of lives at risk."

I arch a brow. "So… you don’t want Damon to let her out?"

Stefan sighs, "Katherine manipulated both me and Damon when we were still human. She doesn’t have a single ounce of humanity left in her. I don’t know why Damon would want to free her—but I do know he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process."

A sympathetic look washes over my face, he doesn’t know Damon actually loved her. God it's awful to think about loving someone for a hundred years, only to realise they were messing with you and were in love with your brother. Jezus, Kathrine is such a fucking bitch.

I put my hand over his, ‘’Well maybe try asking him?’’. I see Stefan’s brows furrow and his mouth part, I doubt he’ll say that I just offered a great idea.

I hold a finger up and quickly interject ‘’I know Damon will probably just respond in his usual asshole way, but I do think it’s worth a try.’’

‘’Also I kinda promised him at the founders ball and I’d feel like a dick if broke that.’’ I mumble, my eyes going to the ground.

A squeeze in my hand brings my gaze back up, Stefan gives me a small grin, ‘’Okay I’ll try and talk to him, but don’t be surprised if Damon acts like… Damon.’’

His gaze turns back towards Bonnie, mine stays focussed on our hands that still haven’t separated.

‘’I’ll try and ask him about Emily’s connection too, and why she would want you to have the crystal.’’ Stefan explains as he unconsciously moves his thumb over my hand.

Bonnie nods, ‘’Thank you Stefan.’’

Beside me, Caroline smirks, eyes darting between Stefan’s hand and mine.
I shoot her a warning look. Not. A. Word.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I toss my pajamas onto the bed and head toward the bathroom to start my night routine.

God, I hope Stefan can have a normal conversation with Damon for once. I get that both Damon and Katherine seriously messed up his life, but come on—waiting over a century for someone you love? That’s dedication. Severely misplaced dedication, but still.

The vibration of my phone pulls me from my thoughts. I assume it’s Caroline, probably asking what I’m wearing to the '50s school dance after spending the entire day convincing me to go. But when I glance at the caller ID, I see a very unexpected name.

Mr. Hopkins

Who the hell is Mr. Hopkins? Sounds like a nickname Damon would give Stefan after one too many baby rabbits.

Hesitantly, I answer the call and lift the phone to my ear.

‘’Uh, hello?’’

A deep male voice responds, "Hello, Elena. Sorry to call so late, but is Bonnie with you? She left home without saying a word, and I’m worried. She almost looked like a completely different person."

And just like that, a few things click into place.

1) Mr. Hopkins is Bonnie’s dad.

2) Bonnie doesn’t have her dad’s last name, but her deadbeat mom’s last name for some reason.

3) I cannot even remember seeing Bonnie’s dad in any of the seasons, perhaps I didn’t watch the show as well as I thought.

4) That bitch Emily just hijacked Bonnie’s body.

I force a nervous chuckle. "Oh, yeah, she’s here. Just… some boy drama. You know how it is. Mind if she stays the night?"

"As long as your aunt is okay with it, that’s fine. Just tell her I love her, alright?"

"Will do, thanks." I hang up and take a deep breath.

Okay. Where the hell would Emily go?

In the show, she went to the woods to burn the necklace—but she doesn’t even have it this time. Damn it.

I rub my temples. Emily wants to destroy the necklace. So… she’ll try to find the necklace first. But I don’t even know where Damon hid it.

Screw it. I’m calling him.

My fingers quickly press my least favorite contact,

Damon <3

The call barely rings twice before he picks up, his voice dripping with amusement. "Didn’t peg you for a late-night booty call, Elena, but I am very interes—"

"Where did you hide the necklace?" I blurt out.

His tone shifts instantly. "Why do you need to know?"

I groan. "Emily possessed Bonnie, and I think she’s going after it."

"What? Why the fuck would that old witch get involved?" he grunts.

"Damon, where is it?!" My frustration spills out in a near yell.

"The boarding house. It’s in my room."

I don’t waste a second. Rushing downstairs, I grab my shoes and keys. "Wow, hiding spot of the year. Please tell me you’re home?"

He scoffs. "Well, I didn’t think a hundred-year-old dead witch would try to fucking steal it. And no, unfortunately, Stefan and I are having our annual ‘pretend we’re real brothers’ night at your school."

Shit. That one’s on me.

I throw open the front door, unlocking my car in the same motion. "Meet me there. And don’t hurt Bonnie!" I snap before hanging up and jumping into the driver’s seat.

Chapter Text

Thank god Mystic Falls is a ghost town after midnight—if anyone else were on these roads, I would’ve hit a bumper or two with the speed I’m going.

But the reckless driving pays off. The boarding house looms in the distance after only a few minutes. I don’t even bother braking properly—I throw my car into the driveway, wrench the door open, and leap out, my pulse hammering as I race toward the front steps.

Then I hear it.

A low, agonized moan cuts through the silence, coming from the shadowy tree line to my left. My steps are slow. The gravel crunches beneath me, but my focus is already shifting—scanning the area. Trees. Bushes. Darkness. Maybe I’m losing it. Maybe the adrenaline is making me—

“E—Elena.”

A gurgling voice calls out from the dark tree tops. I snap my gaze upward and strain my eyes. Then I make out the faint outline of a man pushed against the trunk of a large beech tree.

On second glance, pushed might not be the right word. Seeing as one of the branches is going straight through his torso.

‘’She snapped Stefan’s neck upstairs.. then went into the woods.. with the crystal.’’ he grunts out, taking heavy, wet breaths between words.

Damon.

Seeing as he’s at least two meters from the ground, I have no way of pulling him down. Stefan is also out of the running for a while. I don’t know how long the vampire recuperation time is, but being on the vegan diet definitely isn’t shortening it.

I tilt my head. ‘’Uh, you okay up there?’’ I slowly question, while also knowing that he definitely is not okay up there.

Damon’s head jerks, ‘’Just get the fucking crystal.’’ He snarls out, combined with the sound of him choking on his blood.

I sigh, shaking my head. “Y’know, a ‘please’ wouldn’t kill you. Oh wait—” I mutter, already heading for the trees.

The woods at night are almost a maze, every tree looking the same in the dim light. Fuck do I even know where I’m going? Probably not. But then I almost trip over a lifted tree branch when my eye catches an orange hue.

My pace increases as I move towards the flames flickering behind the forage up ahead. My stomach knots. If Emily’s already torched the damn thing, I’ll have more than one pissed-off vampire to deal with.

When I notice a female outline illuminated by the fire, I come to a halt. Slowly I try to peek around a tree, trying to get a glimpse of what Emily is cooking up. Her hands move along the pattern of the fire, a shiny object is dangling from her left hand.

The crystal.

It still looks intact, thank god.

Okay. Okay. The fire circle isn’t fully closed yet. I could rush her, rip it from her grasp before she finishes whatever witchy ritual she’s working on. But if I fuck up? I could end up cursed. Or worse—turned into a human shish kebab like Damon.

Reasoning with her might be the smarter play. If I can convince her I won’t let anything happen to Bonnie, that might work.

Ugh, I let out a small sigh. I’ve got to figure this out fast, the only thing I’ve got going for me is the element of surprise.

“I know you’re there.” The cold, familiar voice sends ice down my spine.

I slap my forehead against the tree in front of me, ‘’Fuuuuuck.’’

I take a slow side step from behind my hiding spot, ‘’Hey, Emily. Whatcha doing there?’’ I awkwardly chuckle while rubbing my arm.

‘’I’m sorry, I can’t release them. These people, you, should never have to know such evil.’’ Her low monotone voice reminds me that it isn't my friend standing in front of me.

I sigh, taking a step forward. ‘’I know you mean well Emily, but I give you my word. I won’t let them hurt anyone, most of all not Bonnie. I’ll kill them the moment the tomb is opened.’’ my voice thankfully remains steady unlike my heartbeat.

Bonnie’s face is taken over by contemplation, her eyes then give me a sad expression. ‘’I apologise Elena, but I cannot risk the lives of my family for a simple promise.’’

She swiftly turns around and continues her rhythmic hand movements, this time accompanied by unrecognizable words. I take a wobbly step back when the flames rise even higher, almost reaching my knees.

Shit, shit! Of course, I’m just some random human girl. Why would she believe anything I promise, she only sees teenage Elena Gilbert. 110 pounds soaking wet, talking about killing 26 vampires on her own.

But,

I’m not Elena Gilbert, and I do know how to kill 26 vampires on my own. Ah shit, time to bring in the big guns.

‘’I know that you can see that I’m not Elena Gilbert.’’ I shakenly breathe out.

Emily’s movement pauses, her gaze falls on me as she looks over her shoulder.

Now that the flames have lost some of their hunger, I take a step forward again. ‘’Sheila told me that experienced witches can tell that my body doesn’t match my soul, or something like that.’’

Her eyes travel over my body before returning a suspicious gaze, ‘’Yes, I do sense a.. disturbance in your body. But why are you telling me this.’’

‘’It’s hard to explain, but I've been through this before and if you break that necklace. Sheila Bennet dies trying to open the tomb with Bonnie. Please, I can’t let it turn out the same way.’’

She tilts her head, the same suspicious look still on her face. ‘’How can I trust you tell the truth?’’

Well at least she’s taking the whole, I know the future shit, pretty decently. But fair point, how can she know it’s not completely bullshit. Maybe something from a flashback that only Emily would know, fuck what did she do in the flashbacks again?

She owed something to Katherine, yeah but Stefan also knew that. She sealed Katherine away in the tomb, everyone and their momma knows that at the moment. Come on, think!

‘’Uh..’’ I drag out, while watching a very impatient looking Emily Bennet.

Oh shit, got it!

‘’You spelled all of Jonathan Gilbert's vampire devices, he never invented anything on his own. And you never told anyone that, not even Katherine.’’ A proud smile finds its way on my face. Thank God that was still early season knowledge.

She swiftly walks over to my direction, her eyes harshly staring into mine, ‘’I’m putting the lives of my descendants and my trust in your hands, please do not make me regret it.’’

I shake my head furiously. Then she grabs my hand, and quickly presses the cold metal necklace into it. The harsh stare on her face disappears into a peaceful one, as her body limply moves toward the ground.

I quickly fall to my knees and catch the body of hopefully only Bonnie now. I look over her body for any sign of injury, but it appears like she simply fell asleep. A small smile appears on my lips, we have to do a sleepover now. I doubt her father would enjoy his sleeping daughter back at his house at almost two in the morning.

‘’Elena?’’ A hoarse voice behind me catches my attention.

I turn around to see the Salvatore brothers emerging from the shadows of the trees. Both of their faces drenched with worry,

“Are you hurt?” Stefan’s voice is rough—no doubt from having his neck snapped moments ago.

“Where’s the necklace?” Damon’s eyes widen in panic, scanning the ground around us.

I roll my eyes, sighing dramatically. “Good to know someone still cares about my well-being.” I flash a smile at Stefan before slipping my arm out from beneath Bonnie’s sleeping form.

With a flick of my wrist, I toss the necklace toward Damon.

“Wow, thank you so much, Elena, for retrieving my ugly-ass necklace,” I mock, dropping my voice an octave. “Oh, you’re welcome, Damon. No need to show any gratitude.”

Damon snatches it mid-air and shoves it into his pocket, exhaling in relief before turning back to me. “Thank you, Elena.”

I shake my head. “You’re welcome, Damon,” I mutter under my breath.

Stefan crouches down beside me and Bonnie, his voice softer now. “What did Emily say?”

I glance at him, noting the tension easing from his features. ‘’She gave the necklace back, on the condition that we kill all other vampires besides Katherine in the tomb.’’

Damon’s scoff pulls my attention away. “Easy enough. I'll get Katherine out of that damp shithole, and then I’ll roast the rest of the vamps.”

“When’s the grand opening?” I ask. In the show, the whole plan got delayed thanks to Emily. No clue if there was any specific date to open the tomb, but I assume the original date should’ve been closer to the comet passing by.

“Few days. The necklace still needs a little juice.” Damon smirks. “Don’t worry, Elena, you still have a front-row seat.”

Great. Can’t wait for the moment he realizes the past century of pining for Katherine has amounted to absolutely nothing.

I scoff. “Yeah, can’t wait for the vampire unboxing. But if you’ll excuse me—” I groan as I lift Bonnie into my arms, holding her bridal style. “I need to get her home before she wakes up and totally freaks out.”

As I turn to leave, a gentle hand presses against my shoulder. I glance back.

“Let me carry her,” Stefan says, his voice warm again. “I’ll walk you to the car.”

Relieved, I carefully transfer Bonnie into his arms. “Thanks.” I offer a small smile before we head off through the woods.

We pass the same stretch of woods as before. This time around the dark trees and cold breeze are oddly comforting. Perhaps because now Stefan is by my side, or because this time I’m not having an active mental breakdown.

Stefan sighs, breaking the silence. “Thank you for helping. I don’t know how Damon would’ve handled losing Katherine again.”

Oh boy, I do. Bonnie’s neck would’ve been a whole lot bloodier, and Damon would’ve been an even bigger pain in the ass.

I let out a short laugh. “Just keeping my promise. And, you know, my best friend getting possessed wasn’t exactly ideal either.”

Stefan smirks. “I’d imagine.”

Another silence stretches between us—comfortable, but every time I glance at him, that conflicted look is still there. Like something is gnawing at him from the inside.

When the boarding house finally comes into view, I decide to save him from developing permanent frown lines.

“So, you wanna spit it out or keep brooding all night?” I tease.

Stefan chuckles. “That obvious, huh?”

I snort. “A little.”

A beat passes before he exhales deeply. “I talked to Damon… about Katherine. Like you suggested.”

I cock a brow. “Did Damon act like… Damon?”

He shakes his head. “No. I actually got something out of him that wasn’t an insult or a lie for once.”

As we approach my disaster of a parked car (my driving instructor would be horrified), he continues.

“He told me that… Katherine never compelled him.” His voice darkens, his brows furrowing.

It’s genuinely disgusting how it’s overlooked how Stefan was basically sexually assaulted for the better half of a year. While also being manipulated against his brother, and being used as a human blood bag by the world's biggest bitch.

I exhale sharply. “So that’s why he wants to free her so badly… He actually loved her.”

We reach the car, and I open the backseat door. Stefan steps beside me, carefully laying Bonnie down before shutting it behind him.

Then, he leans back against the car, a humorless chuckle escaping his lips. “All this time… I thought we were the same. That she used us both. But Damon—he actually had a choice. He actually chose to love her. “

He exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know if I should feel relieved that he still has human emotions left or…” He trails off, his eyes dropping to the ground.

“Or pissed that he loves the psychotic bitch who put you through all of this and now wants to bring her back?” I finish for him, hoping I’m reading the room right.

His eyes flick up to mine. His shoulders slump. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised.”

His voice is quiet, almost defeated. “Damon and I—we’ve been playing the same game since 1864. Fighting over a woman who never gave a damn about either of us.” He shakes his head. “You’d think after all this time, he’d finally see her for what she is. But he hasn’t changed. Not in a century.”

His eyes close, and he leans against the car.

I furrow my brows. God, I suck at emotional moments. But I do know step one: Physical comfort. Slowly, I place a hand on his shoulder.

Stefan’s eyes open, meeting mine with an exhausted sadness.

I sigh. “I’m so sorry, Stefan. For everything she put you through.” My voice softens. “Maybe one day, Damon will finally understand what she’s done to both of you, and who she really is. But in the meantime, at least they’ll be screwing off together when the tomb opens.” I offer a supportive smile.

Step two: Convince the person everything will be okay. Is not working that well, seeing that Stefan still has a doubtful expression on his face.

Time for Step three: Use humor to deflect sad emotions (my specialty), “And I’ll stake her if she even looks at you the wrong way, I promise.” I wink.

A small laugh escapes him. “I’ll hold you to that.”

I glance into the car window—Bonnie is still sleeping peacefully. “I should get going before she wakes up.” I gesture toward her.

Stefan nods, pushing himself off the car. “Of course. Drive safe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

But that sadness lingers on his face, making him look like a lost puppy who doesn’t want to be left alone.

Instinctively, I step forward and wrap my arms around him, squeezing tight. Well, tight for me, anyway. Stefan tenses for a second before returning the gesture, his arms settling around me.

“Take care of yourself, Stefan. And if you ever want to talk more… I’m here.” I rest my head against his shoulder.

He exhales against my hair, his hold tightening just slightly. “Thank you, Elena. For being here.” His voice is barely above a whisper, but I feel the weight in it.

My heartbeat stumbles. And for just a moment, I don’t feel guilty about taking Elena Gilbert’s place.

Chapter Text

My eyes dart nervously around Sheriff Forbes’ office. The shelves mounted on the navy-blue wall are cluttered with books and binders, but it's the scattered photos of Caroline and her mom that catch my attention, all obviously lacking her father.

A knot forms in my stomach when I glance up at the clock—12:00. She should’ve been here by now.

I mean, she made it clear how urgent it was to get here fast. I almost choked on my cereal trying to make it on time, so it's a bit rude of her to show up late.

My breathing quickens a little.

Could she have figured out about Stefan or Damon? Nah, they’ve been around too long to raise suspicion. Maybe Caroline? What if her mom gave her vervain for protection... but then realized Caroline only needs protection against vervain. She wouldn’t stake her immediately though, probably lock her up first.

Okay, first things first—I need to convince the sheriff to let me see Caroline. Then—bam! Knock her out and—

"Elena, thank you for coming so quickly."

Sheriff Forbes' voice pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts. She shuts the door behind her and sits down at her desk.

I shake myself out of my internal panic. Can't let her know I know she knows Caroline is a vampire.

"I assume this has something to do with... vampires?" I whisper, trying to look casual, raising an eyebrow.

She nods slowly. "Yes. I take it Damon filled you in on the basics?"

"Vampires are real, vervain hurts them, stakes and sunlight kill them. Holy water and garlic do nothing. Oh, and the 'animal attacks'? Yeah, they're actually vampire attacks," I rattle off, somewhat dryly.

She gives me a guilty look. "Yes, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

I lean forward on the desk, narrowing my eyes. "Another vampire attack?"

Holy shit, did Caroline kill someone again? Stefan said she was doing well. Please don’t tell me I’ve got another death to deal with. And, of course, sheriff Forbes must be horrified if her own daughter just murdered someone.

"We haven't found the vampire yet, but I wanted you to be aware of it. You shouldn't be out at night, and please help convince Caroline to stay inside, too. She might listen to you better than she listens to me." She lets out a small, pained chuckle.

I blink. Huh.

Now I feel a little bad for assuming Caroline went on a ripper spree, but who else could it be? Anna hasn’t shown up at my house yet, and no vampire talk from Jeremy. I’d assume Jenna would’ve told me if Logan had made a return, but I can’t rule him out just yet.

Maybe Damon relapsed? I should call Stefan about it.

I nod, "Of course. I’ll make sure she stays inside. Thank you for the heads-up—please let me know when you catch who—whatever is behind this."

Sheriff Forbes stands and walks around her desk. "Thank you, Elena. You really help ease my mind. I’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more."

I follow her as she opens the door for me and shows me out.

As I walk down the hallway past the hard-working deputies, I push open the heavy wooden door and step out onto the sidewalk.

I pull my phone out and dial Stefan’s number, but before I can press ‘call,’ I see he’s already beaten me to it. His name flashes on my screen.

"Hey, Stefan. What's up?"

"Hi, Elena. I’ve got some bad news."

I chuckle, "Let me guess—new vampire with self-control issues in town?"

Sheriff Forbes clearly told Damon, who now has a semi-spot on the council, before me.

He pauses. "Did Damon tell you?"

"Damon and 'willingly sharing important information' don't exactly belong in the same sentence," I laugh. "Sheriff Forbes filled me in—looks like I've been promoted to the inner circle of their elite vampire-hunting club."

He lets out a small laugh. "Yeah, that makes sense. Sheriff Forbes stopped by earlier to tell Damon. I assumed it was him at first, but he’s been really serious about keeping a low profile."

His voice shifts back to serious. "Damon and I will be patrolling the streets tonight. From what I heard from the sheriff, we're dealing with a newly turned vampire. The victim’s head was almost completely ripped off."

Perhaps that hits a little too close to home for him.

God, if I tell him to check Logan’s grave, that’ll look suspicious. Without them knowing about Anna, it’s impossible for Logan to have been turned by anyone else. Maybe I should check it myself, just to make sure that asshole isn’t after Jenna.

"Please stay inside tonight, Elena," Stefan's voice softens. "Newly turned vampires are unpredictable, and I don't want you anywhere near this one."

I nod, though he can’t see me. "Wow, patrolling the streets? Very Batman of you."

"But I’ll be safe. Don't worry about me. And take care of yourself too, okay? Otherwise, I’ll be stuck dealing with all of Damon’s bullshit myself."

He chuckles. "Well, now you know how the past century has been for me. Don't worry, I'd never put you through that."

I stop walking when I reach my car. "I gotta go—can't talk on the phone while driving near the station and all. Call me if you find anything."

After unlocking the car, I slump into the driver's seat and start the engine.

"Of course, and that's good, otherwise you’ll repeat your parking job at my house," Stefan teases, his smirk almost hearable over the phone.

I roll my eyes. "It was an emergency!"

"And also not that bad," I mumble.

"Elena, you nearly took out our mailbox," he deadpans.

I gasp. "Okay, okay, fine. But I did not hit it."

"I think Damon spent five minutes wondering if you even had a license," Stefan mutters.

I let out a gasp, He and Damon might actually be more alike than they care to admit.

"Goodbye, Stefan. Now I hope the mystery vampire nibbles on you a little bit!"’’ Thank god I’m screaming this in my car, or I’d get thrown in an insane asylum.

"Bye, Elena. Drive safe," he chuckles.

I slam the phone down, muttering to myself, "Motherfucker."

---------------------------------------------------------------------->

My bag slams onto the kitchen table with a loud bang.

"Ughhh," I sigh, finally done with school. Looking at Alaric is still a little weird, pretending I don’t know his entire backstory—or his future body count. Already can’t wait to deal with his psycho ex-wife, she did have some emotions left for her daughter. But I doubt that will stop her from trying to kill multiple teenagers, including Jeremy.

"Rough day at school, Elena?" Jenna asks as she passes me on her way to the coffee machine.

I nod, slumping into one of the ivory dining chairs. "Math should be illegal. No one uses it anyway," I whine dramatically.

Jenna chuckles as she pours herself a mug of coffee. "Just wait until you learn what APA citing is in college."

Ugh. Unfortunatly, I already know. "So, uh... any news on the Logan front?" I ask, trying to keep my tone casual, raising a nonchalant brow.

Jenna sighs, leaning against the counter. "Nope. Still not man enough to call me."

Could he be hiding? I don’t remember if he went straight to Jenna after turning. Maybe he's too busy figuring out how to walk in the daylight right now?

"But—" Jenna hesitates, eyes dropping to the floor.

"But?" I repeat, leaning forward in my chair, curiosity piqued.

She exhales a heavy breath. "I might... have found someone new."

My eyes widen. "Who?"

"Uhh..." Jenna's face flushes, and she suddenly can't look me in the eye.

That guilty look, the refusal to meet my gaze. That kind of shame can only come from one person.

I grin, raising an eyebrow. "You're fucking my teacher, aren’t you?"

Wham!

A dish towel slaps me square in the face, and I barely manage to stop it from knocking my head back.

"Elena!" Jenna yells, her face bright red.

I rub my forehead, groaning. "If I get a bruise from that, I’m calling CPS."

"So I take that as a yes?" I mutter under my breath.

"Yes, your history teacher, Alaric," she admits, finally meeting my gaze. "But we aren’t sleeping together. Technically, he’s still married."

I feign shock, placing my hand dramatically over my mouth. "Jenna, don't tell me... you're the other woman?"

She groans, pushing herself off the counter, looking completely mortified. "No—not like that. She went missing a few years ago. It's complicated."

I flash her a small grin. "You really do know how to pick 'em."

Jenna shoots me a deadpan look before turning toward the hallway without saying another word.

I let out a small giggle, Alaric and Jenna were cute together. I hope they’ll stay that way when Jenna doesn’t get ritually sacrificed. Which, in hindsight, is pretty doable to prevent. The first step is having a replacement vampire ready, which can be pretty much any asshole. The second step is to not piss off Klaus, that one might be a little harder. In the show, Elena did everything Klaus wanted and it still got fucked up due to the Salvatore brothers. I do need to reign them in somehow, but that’s a problem for future not-Elena. Right now, it’s time for my second grave digging attempt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------->

After grabbing an old shovel from the shed, I make my way towards the woods.

Although I don’t know the exact place where Damon dumps his bodies, I do have a good guess. From my recollection, it was on the bottom of a small hill. It hasn’t rained in weeks, so fresh-turned earth should stand out.

When I glance down at my dashboard, the time reads 5:30 PM. Technically, I promised not to go out at night. But Stefan never said anything about going out after dark.

The woods wouldn’t even be that dangerous—if Logan really is the mystery vampire. He’d be holed up in one of the Fell warehouses, not prowling the forest.

And even if I’m wrong, I’ve got my trusty vampire compass. Thanks, great-great—great?—grandpa Jonathan. I glance at the worn heirloom resting on my passenger seat, its dial spinning lazily. No threat detected.

Until—

The needle jerks violently forward, locking onto something right in front of me.

My gaze snaps to the road.

A figure lies sprawled in the middle of the narrow road.

Shit.

I scan left, right—no way to swerve without wrapping my car around a tree. My heart slams in my chest. My foot hovers over the brake.

Wait. Why the hell would I stop?

Isn’t that the whole point of this dumb vampire trick?

A slow grin spreads across my face. My foot shifts to the gas pedal.

The figure stirs. He knows. He pushes himself up, locking eyes with me.

I floor it.

The car roars forward, gears shifting up. I don’t know how fast I’m going—still haven’t gotten the hang of miles instead of kilometers—but I know one thing.

This is going to hurt that motherfucker more than me.

BAM.

The impact launches me forward. The airbag explodes, smashing into my face. My ears ring. I squeeze my eyes shut against the shower of glass and metal. The car flips.

I’m weightless for half a second before the seatbelt yanks me back, crushing my ribs.

The world stops moving.

A fit of coughs rips from my throat as dust settles in the wreckage. The air reeks of burnt rubber and blood, which explains the metallic taste in my mouth. My head pounds. Slowly, I blink my eyes open. The widows around me are smashed in, and the middle of the dashboard looks like it’s been hammered in from the outside. Looking through the remains of the front window, a flickering headlight illuminates a figure standing a few meters from the car.

‘’Seriously?’’ I weakly mutter under my breath.

Not a scratch on him.

He dusts off his jacket, dark brown hair disheveled, like the only thing my car managed to do was mildly inconvenience his outfit.

A creeping sense of déjà vu washes over me. I know this bastard. One of Anna’s little lap dogs. One of Katherine’s old pets. Someone so unimportant I can’t even recall his name.

He starts walking.

I should feel fear, but I don’t.

Because Damon will be here any second.

....................

Right?

Boots crunch against glass. He stops in front of me, his leather boots not even a meter from my face.

Any time now would be great Damon.

I feel my heart speed up again.

He crouches, head tilting under the collapsed windshield. When his cold eyes lock onto mine I see my vision becoming white.

A slow, nasty grin spreads across his face.

“Hey there.” That nasty glib voice is the last thing I hear, before everything fades to black.

Chapter Text

Hushed conversation near me pulls me back to consciousness. Beneath me, I feel something soft. Pretty sure I’m on a bed or a couch. I very slowly open my eyes, holding in a groan as the bright light worsens my headache.

Why do I have a headache again?

Oh yeah. Because I thought Tokyo drifting into a vampire was a good idea. And perhaps I didn’t listen to Stefan, but that’s beside the point.

To be fair, in the show everyone stopped like a pussy when someone tried the lame suicidal trick. Who knew a vampire would be equal to a brick wall?

I look over the room, trying not to alert anyone of my consciousness. The reddish, ugly wallpaper fades into a brown, dirty-looking carpet. To my left is another bed, on it sits a short girl with dark curls and pale skin. Next to her stand two men, one taller with equally dark hair, and the other—the one I failed to hit and run. I believe the taller one was a former classmate of Elena’s who tried to seduce Bonnie and then kidnap her, and was kind of a loser if I remember right.

Last time they tried to convince Damon to work together to open the tomb. Unfortunately for them, Damon really isn’t one for teamwork. What could they want this time? Damon is opening the damn thing anyway.

My eyes go to the shorter man. Did this dude really just kidnap me because I look like his ex-psycho girlfriend? I’d have thought that Anna would have a tighter leash on those guys.

I unconsciously shift my torso a little, letting out an involuntary groan when I feel a pain shoot through my ribs. Three gazes lock onto me immediately.

“Good morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?” Anna’s teasing voice is now also on the list of things giving me a headache.

I slowly pull myself upright, using the headboard to support myself.

I scoff. “Like I just had a car accident.”

That earns a chuckle from Anna. The psycho vampire whose name I still don’t know steps forward.

“Well, you did drive into me on purpose, didn’t you?” he purrs.

My face turns to disgust. “Not my fault you wanted to play a speedbump.”

Before he can open his mouth again, I turn toward Anna. “So, am I being kidnapped?” I ask, a bit dryly.

Anna smirks. “Great observation.” She stands up and moves to stand next to my bed, her eyes scanning my face. “You really are Katherine’s doppelganger. You must have the Salvatore boys reeling.”

Before I can explain that I’m nothing like that two-timing-hoe, I remember that I shouldn’t even know that I look like Katherine. Ugh. Time to pretend to be clueless.

I tilt my head, raising a questioning eyebrow. “What?”

“She doesn’t even know.” A snickering voice from my right interrupts. I don’t even give him the decency to turn my head.

“You really don’t know that you look exactly like Katherine Pierce? And when I say exactly, I mean you could be twins.” Anna’s confused voice explains. “Did the Salvatores never mention it?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Never came up. Might explain why they look at me funny sometimes.”

She raises a brow. “Huh. You’re taking this surprisingly well.” Her voice turns suspicious.

I chuckle. “Well, being kidnapped is a more pressing problem for me right now.”

A voice behind Anna lets out a laugh. The taller man—Ben, I think—finally speaks up. “Can’t blame her.”

His happy face disappears when Anna turns around and gives him a hard look. His hand awkwardly runs through his hair.

That’s when I notice the lack of a gaudy ring on his hand. Only Anna and the stalker guy had a daylight ring, right? Probably my best plan to escape is to be alone with Ben. Although that might be hard since I feel the hard, disgusting stare of a certain vampire on me.

I clear my throat. “About that, why am I here exactly?” I ask, playing the clueless act pretty well.

“You, are leverage.” A wicked grin graces Anna’s face. “I need to make a little deal with Damon.”

Now my confusion stops being pretend. “About what? The tomb? He’s already opening the damn thing.”

Anna lets out a cold laugh. “Yeah, just for his little girlfriend, the lovestruck idiot.” She mumbles ‘’I heard he’s torching all the other innocent vampires who Katherine got thrown into the tomb, because she just had to toy with both the Salvatore brothers.’’ She rolls her eyes

“So you want to save someone else from the tomb?” Another obvious answer is in my mind. But I’ll let Anna have her monologue.

She nods, a somber look taking over her face. “My mother. When Katherine got caught, so did she. I watched Johnathan Gilbert take her away.”

I eye creepy vampire stalker. I don’t know if he’s stupid or if Anna is the only way for him to open the tomb. It’s quite obvious she’d never get Katherine out of the tomb, even if she didn’t already know Katherine’s been a free woman for the past hundred years.

Perhaps a bit of both.

“So, why not ask Damon if you can get your mom out of the tomb before he makes a barbecue out of it?”

She scoffs. “Yeah, like he’d ever actually care about someone other than himself or Katherine. I need to make sure my mother can actually make it out of there. I need the necklace.” She grunts out.

I slap my hand in front of my mouth to stifle a laugh. “I assume that’s where I come in. Me for the necklace, right?”

“What’s so funny about that?” Ben, looking like Anna’s puppy guard dog, snaps.

I keep my gaze on Anna, my laughter dying down, leaving a grin behind. “I don’t know why you’d think this would work. But you’re stupid as hell if you think Damon would ever choose me over Katherine. The woman he’s been pining for his entire life.”

Perhaps I’m insulting three immoral vampires a little too much for my own safety.

Anna leans toward me, no hint of anger on her face, just a grin that matches mine. “You know, I’ve been observing you and the little Salvatore boys for a while. And I’m very sure that at least one of the Salvatores will get me that necklace, if it means your survival.”

Her hand shoots out toward me. I close my eyes, preparing for a blow, a bite, or something worse.

I open my eyes when Anna lets out a chuckle. “Sheesh, no need to be on edge. Just…” She reaches into my pocket and pulls out my phone. “...taking this. Not all vampires are bloodthirsty animals, you know?”

Funny she says that, with the company she surrounds herself with.

She smiles as she turns around and searches through my phone. Suddenly, I realize that phone passwords weren’t all that popular in the early 2000s. Crazy.

I see her hands press a number, then she swiftly pulls the phone to her ear. Damn weak human hearing—I can’t make out who’s on the other line.

“She’s fine... for now.” Anna turns back to me with a smirk, then starts pacing around the room.

“Give me the necklace, and she’ll stay that way.”

“Which means your brother has it.” So she definitely has Stefan on the line. Perhaps he’ll try to nick the necklace from Damon since I’m his second-best friend after all. But I doubt he’ll have much luck. Ripper Stefan might beat Damon, but vegan vampire diet Stefan doesn’t stand a chance.

“Well, if you don’t want anything to happen to your girlfriend, one of you better meet me in the very public town square in 30 minutes so we can safely discuss how the tomb will be opening on my terms.” She ends the call and turns back to her little minions.

“Keep her here. Compulsion won’t work. Just use violence.” She barks.

“Right, we got that.” Ben sighs.

When I look at the unnamed vampire, his face seems to light up at the mention of violence. Gross.

My heartbeat drops when Anna slams the door behind her. Anna is smart. From what I remember, she doesn’t enjoy needless violence. She simply wants her mother back, and nothing can stop her. An admirable goal if I do say so myself. If she had simply asked to spare her mother, I would’ve bent my promise to Emily a little bit—not like Pearl was racking up a body count when she was out of the tomb. But unfortunately, vampires seem to have some trust issues.

As I said, Anna is smart. Tweedledee and Tweedledum standing in front of me are the opposite: impulsive, arrogant vampires. Ben at least has a reason for it, probably turned less than a year ago.

I’m not the best at biting my words, but I have the feeling these two will forget I need to be kept alive if I give too much backtalk.

Instead of the two men in front of me, I focus on the rest of the room. The lamp above me is somewhat flower-shaped, and its bulb flickers from time to time. Next to me is a worn-down-looking nightstand, with a notepad and a pencil on it. A very tacky abstract painting hangs on the wall on the other side of me.

"So you have no idea why you look exactly like Katherine?" The creepy vampire’s low voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I involuntarily roll my eyes, ‘’Nope, I didn’t even know I looked like her till about a minute ago. Maybe she’s my great-great-great-grandma or something.’’ I mumble

He pauses, studying me for a beat, before stepping closer, lowering his voice as though he’s about to reveal some deep secret.

"You must feel so alone in all of this. Stefan and Damon—sure, they’ll protect you, but do they tell you everything? Or do they just expect you to follow their every command?" His eyes pierce into mine, his voice almost a whisper. "Katherine always had control. You? You’re just their pawn." He sighs dramatically, a mockingly sympathetic look crossing his face. "You could be so much more, Elena."

I raise an eyebrow, suppressing a smirk. Is he trying to gaslight me right now? Wow, I didn’t think he was anything more than a Katherine-obsessed freak. Honestly, though, Katherine always had a taste for adding a little spark to her boy toys.

A part of me is offended by the pawn comment, especially since I know more about everyone’s past and future than he could even imagine. But, I could use that to my advantage.

I pretend to think for a moment, before letting my face soften into an expression of sad sympathy. "You knew her, didn’t you? You look at me just like they do." I exhale, barely concealing the sarcasm.

It’s a total lie, obviously. Even Damon—with all his creepy smirking—has never looked at me with such psychotic intensity.

His expression flickers, just for a moment.

"Smart girl." He takes another slow step closer, now standing right next to my bed. He lowers his head, his gaze never leaving mine. "She turned me back in 1864, then those damned Salvatores just had to screw everything up."

I feign sympathy, my voice soft. "That must’ve been so hard for you. Is that why you're working with Anna?"

For the first time, his face softens. His eyes lose the psychotic edge and seem... vulnerable. The sound of his slow breathing is unsettlingly close to my face. That is, until a voice cuts through the tension.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Poor Noah, his poor little girlfriend trapped in the tomb." Ben sarcastically mimics Noah’s tone before waving his hand dismissively. "Just shut up and follow the plan. Anna's orders come first, not your little pity party."

Noah huh? That name does sound slightly familiar.

Noah doesn’t look at him right away. His eyes stay locked on mine, and for a second, I think he might ignore Ben altogether. But then, with an exaggerated sigh, he finally leans back, rolling his shoulders like he’s shaking off an itch.

"Relax, Ben." He drawls, barely sparing him a glance. "I’m just having a conversation."

"Yeah, sure. A really fascinating conversation." Ben scoffs.

I can see it now—the flicker of irritation in Noah’s jaw, the way his fingers twitch slightly like he’s restraining himself. Ben might be playing right into Anna’s hands, but Noah doesn’t really doesn’t like being told what to do.

I raise my brows, "Huh. That’s interesting."

I pause, just long enough for Noah to take the bait.

"What?" he asks, brow furrowing.

"Just… you talk a big game about how I’m being controlled. But look at you." I narrow my eyes

I slowly lean toward him, lowering my voice. "Taking orders just like I am. Only difference is, I didn’t sign up for this."

"You’re stronger than him, aren’t you?" I flick my eyes toward Ben, then back to Noah, watching how his jaw tenses. "So why are you listening to him? Why are you following Anna’s plan? You know you’re strong enough to do it on your own.’’ A wicked grin spreads to my lips. I try not to think of the consequences of this plan failing, my heartbeat would only give me away.

Noah's expression darkens, his harsh eyes almost pierce through me. A deep, dark grin spreads on his face as his jaw clenches. He takes another step back from me, then glances toward Ben.

"You think I’m a puppet, Ben?" He coldly murmurs, I see Ben’s expression turn a little more troubled. Perhaps now realising that the company of crazy vampires with a short temper, isn’t the best to keep.

Before Ben can defend himself, Noah moves. Too fast for me to comprehend, the next time my vision focusses. Noah has Ben pinned by his neck against the hotel’s wall. Ben’s eyes are now full of fear.

"He—hé, I didn’t mean it like th—" Ben stutters, but his words die in his throat as Noah reaches into his chest and rips out his heart. The organ still pulses weakly in his hand before Noah crushes it, sending blood splattering across the room.

Noah releases his grip on Ben, his body slumping to the floor like a lifeless doll. My stomach turns at the sight, and I do my best to keep my composure, but it’s hard when I can’t tear my eyes away from the gruesome scene.

In my peripheral vision, I see a flash of movement.

Then a hand grips my chin, forcing me to look up. I meet Noah’s psychotic eyes.

"I don’t take orders," Noah growls, his hand still clutching my jaw. His touch is strangely warm, and I’m pretty sure Ben’s blood has something to do with that.

I very slowly move up from the bed, my feet meet the soft carpeted floor as my hands lean back on the old nightstand.

His predatory eyes move over my face, a wicked grin spreads over his face. "Do you still think I'm the puppet, Elena?" He whispers softly, his voice is low, carrying a certain kind of mockery.

I fumble my hands over the nightstand, finally finding my target and wrapping my hand around it. I take another step closer, our chest inches away from meeting. At this point I assume my heartbeat is ringing in both of our ears, ‘’No.’’ I quietly murmur.

His grip on my jaw tightens, my left hand slowly trailing over his shoulder. The look on his face is one of satisfaction, the grin on his face only growing bigger.

Then with a smile on my face, I plunge the pencil right between his ribs. His face turns to pain, he stumbles back a little, catching himself on the end of the bed.

Without a second thought, I jump over the other bed, ignoring the puddle of blood I land in. My hand rips the door open, the warmth of sunlight on my face has never felt better. I run, desperate to find the exit, but a sharp tug on my hair yanks me back, sending me crashing to the ground.

"FUCK!" I gasp, pain shooting through my scalp.

"You manipulative little bitch," Noah growls from behind me.

Before I can react, I’m slammed into the cold concrete wall of another hotel room.

Noah’s rage filled face nearly stops my heart from beating. But then a thought crosses my mind, and I can’t help but laugh weakly. "I thought you liked girls like that!"

I groan as his hand moves from my hair to my throat, almost immediately crushing my windpipe. I kick and claw at his hand, gasping for breath. God, why does everyone keep choking me?

When dots start to appear in my vision, I know I’m fucked. Perhaps making him ditch Anna’s plan wasn’t a particular smart move.

Black almost fills my mind completely, and then—

a gust of wind rushes over me, and I can breathe again. I stumble forward, my body still affected from the lack of oxygen.

Before my face has a meeting with the hard floor, two strong arms catch me. Steadying me.

‘’Elena, you still with me?’’ Damon’s piercing blue eyes stare at me with worry.

I slowly nod, ‘’Doing fucking great, thanks.’’ My own hoarse voice surprises me.

Damon lets out a small laugh in response, I then turn my head toward the scene in front of me. Looks like I just missed all the action.

Noah is pale and lifeless now, a wooden stake protruding from his chest. Stefan stands over him, panting. His gaze meets mine, full of concern. His eyes travel over my body before finally locking onto mine.

I stretch my arms out, and Stefan wastes no time in scooping me up, his embrace warm and tight. But he’s holding back, I can tell.

"I’ve got you, Elena," he murmurs softly, his breath tickling my neck.

After a moment, he lifts me bridal style. I look between the two brothers, offering a grateful smile. "Thank you." God my voice still sounds like I smoke two Marlboro packs everyday.

Damon moves closer, his hand gently brushing a lock of hair from my face. The usual spark in his smirk is gone, replaced with a quiet seriousness. "Two rescues to one, and I'm not looking to add another tally, Elena."

I manage a weak laugh, which quickly turns into a dry cough. "Oh, you totally share this one with Stefan. More like one-and-a-half to one," I tease with a small grin.

Damon groans loudly. "You’re impossible, you know that?" He waves us off dismissively.

"Take her home, I’ll handle the cleanup. As always," he sighs, rolling his eyes.

Stefan’s grip tightens, and he gives me one last reassuring smile before speeding off to the car. Thank God for that—vampire speed all the way to the boarding house might have been the last straw for my stomach.

Chapter Text

I slowly stir the sugar cubes around in my tea, the couch in the boarding house is way more comfortable than the old creaky bed back in the hotel. I throw my head back on the pillow, and my legs over the person sharing the couch with me, Stefan.

‘’So how did you find me?’’ I softly question, my voice somewhat returning to normal.

His eyes meet mine, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well, I got worried when Caroline called me. Jenna had asked if you were with her, since it was already late and you still hadn’t come home. So Caroline said yes, assuming that you were with me, and she had to cover for you.’’

Then he hesitates for a moment before continuing, “And then she said, and I quote, ‘Next time you guys want to get all hot and bothered for each other, clue me in first. It’s hard to lie under pressure.’” His lips press into a straight line, and his eyes drift to the coffee table in front of us.

My cheeks heat up a little. Damn you, Caroline. The only bedroom action I’m getting is being choked by two old creepy guys with bad hair and anger issues.

I let out a small laugh. “I’ll be sure to thank her for providing an alibi for me.”

Stefan clears his throat, his expression turning more serious. “Anyway, when I explained that you weren’t here, she called Bonnie straight away. When she also had no idea where you were, and none of us could reach you, Bonnie’s Grams offered to perform a locator spell on you.”

I nod along, a little surprised Sheila would still want to help me. She doesn’t know me, only that I took over the body of her granddaughter’s best friend. And judging by the way she looked at me like a failed science experiment, I guess the whole body not matching the soul thing creeps witches out.

“I should thank all of them when Damon brings my phone back. I’m afraid Caroline and Bonnie are still blowing it up with calls now,” I chuckle.

‘’Especially Bonnie’s Grams, if I had to wait for Damon to give up that damn necklace. I’d be missing a few liters of blood at this point.’’

Stefan exhales sharply, shaking his head. “Yeah, about that…” He leans back against the couch, arms crossed. ‘’When I got the call, it didn’t even cross my mind that Damon would give the necklace up.’’

He pauses for a moment, his expression looks puzzled. Like he’s not even sure of what he’s about to say next.

He sighs, ‘’The locator spell was taking a long time, and we were all on edge. After a couple minutes Damon tried to storm off to the town square to meet up with Anna.’’

I blink, sitting up a little. “Wait—what?”

Stefan exhales sharply, running a hand down his face. "Yeah. He was done waiting. Said he’d rip Anna apart himself. Thankfully Sheila finished up her spell right at that moment, and then we sped off to find you.’’

Yeah trying to kill Anna sounds more like Damon than him giving the necklace up. A chuckle escapes my lips. “Isn’t Anna older than both of you?” From what I gathered, Pearl and Katherine had been traveling together for a while—long enough that Anna must have had centuries on them.

Stefan nods, his hands resting on my legs, absentmindedly tracing patterns along the fabric. “Logic and reason have never really stopped Damon before.” He grins.

I laugh, but it’s cut short by the heavy swing of the boarding house door slamming open.

Damon strides in, his signature smirk already in place. “Oh, my bad Stefan. Next time she gets kidnapped, I’ll just wait it out—let the evil, psychotic vampires have their fun ripping her throat open. Sound good?”

Without missing a beat, he crosses the room and drops into the chair across from us, arms stretching out like he owns the place. Which to be fair, he does.

Stefan’s jaw tightens in response.

I turn to him, a honest smile on my face.‘’Thank you for not letting my throat get ripped open by a bunch of evil psychotic vampires, Damon.’’

He kicks his feet up on the coffee table, grabbing a bottle of bourbon and taking a swig. His gaze on me feels heavy as he dons a similar smile to mine. “You’re welcome, Elena. All in a day’s work for the local hero.”

Then his gaze turns to Stefan, ‘’See little brother, that’s how you show appreciation.’’ his smirk widens.

Stefan scoffs, “Oh yeah, Damon, if I left it to you, that would’ve ended well. Bonnie’s grandmother wouldn’t have trusted you. Resulting in you threatening her, which would not work. Then you would’ve gone and gotten yourself killed while going after Anna on your own.’’ he ends his rant with a small grin.

Damon rolls his eyes, taking another sip of bourbon. “Wow, Stefan. You make me sound so reckless. I’ll have you know, I had a very detailed plan.” He pauses, tilting his head. “Step one: find Anna. Step two: kill Anna. Step three: …well, I hadn’t gotten that far yet.” His smirk deepens. “But, hey, details.”

Then he swishes his feet off the table and puts his glass down, ‘’About that, I feel like I should put that great plan in action.’’ He moves to stand up.

‘’Damon, wait.’’

He turns back to me, a questioning look on his face. Waiting for me to continue.

I sigh, ‘’Don’t kill her.’’

See one might think. ‘Hey not-Elena, you almost got turned into a corpse because of Anna. Why wouldn’t you want her dead?’

Great question, voice in my head.

Well you see, I don’t think Anna is a bad person. If my mother ever had to suffer the same fate as Pearl, I would’ve killed everyone Katherine ever gave a shit about and then the bitch herself. Especially since the chance of me ever seeing my actual parents is very slim. Which makes me feel a variety of emotions, all of whom I’d rather not feel right now.

Anyway, she deserves her mother back, and they both don’t deserve to get killed by Elena’s weird uncle-daddy vampire hunter. Another bonus point is that she actually gives a fuck about Jeremy, and since Jeremy’s love life was already dogshit in the show. Who am I to fuck it up more.

Damon narrows his eyes, while crossing his arms. “Oh, come on, Elena. She kidnapped you. And her freaky little boyfriend almost choked you to death. Do I need to remind you that she probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if she had to?” He scoffs, shaking his head.

‘’I’d hate to agree with Damon, but Anna is dangerous. There’s no guarantee she won’t come after you again.’’ Stefan adds, with a reluctant sigh. When I look back at him, he looks torn. Obviously not liking the idea of murder, but also accepting the reality of Anna’s actions.

He is right of course, Anna could come after me. But I think back to the moment she talked about her mother, she just seemed like a girl that desperately needed her mother. Also Anna knows she is down one point, missing the only vampire that could’ve stood a chance against Stefan and Damon.

I sigh, my voice quieter now. "She just wants her mom back. I really think if we promise we won’t torch her mom, she’ll behave." Feeling a little bit like my decision is being doubted too much.

Damon lets out a sharp, sarcastic laugh while shaking his head. “Oh yeah, that sounds like a great plan, Elena. Just sit her down, have a nice little heart-to-heart over some tea, and suddenly she won’t want to rip out your heart anymore? How come I didn't think of that?.” His voice reeks of sarcasm.

Then he steps closer, his voice dropping to something more serious. “That’s not how this works. She wants her mother back? Boohoo. We all want things. She still kidnapped you. She’s still dangerous. And I, for one, don’t feel like waiting around for her to get another bright idea.” He spits.

I roll my eyes, God it’s annoying when Damon actually makes sense. I look over to Stefan, who’s unfortunately giving me a look that could only mean ‘Sorry, I want to agree with you. But then I’d be wrong.’

Ugh, how do I convince them to just do the dumb, nice thing for once.

Oh,

Got something.

I pull myself a little more upright, while a grin spreads on my face. "How about this: I’ll forgive you both for keeping the ‘you look just like our undead ex’ secret, and in exchange, you won’t kill Anna."

An awkward silence falls over the living room.

Damon is the first one to respond, he raises his eyebrows and lets out a low whistle. ‘’ Wow, when did figure that piece of hot information out?’’ He moves back to his chair, and takes another swig of Bourbon. ‘’This should be good.’’ he mutters

When I turn back to Stefan he gives me a pained look, seemingly at a loss for words.

‘’Anna mentioned the resemblance, I assume that’s why she thought she had a shot of trading me for the necklace.’’

See I’m not mad at them for not telling me, mostly because then I’d be the world's biggest hypocrite. But, I’m perhaps a little…. annoyed. I mean I did have a whole intervention with Stefan about how I want him to trust me more. Didn’t expect shit from Damon though.

I see Stefan’s eyes soften, his hands still have a weak grip on my legs. Perhaps scared that I’ll run away due to this betrayal. Can’t even blame him for that, Elena did the exact thing.

"I… I should’ve told you." He sighs, running a hand through his hair, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment. "I didn’t want to make you feel like you were some kind of replacement for her. You’re not, Elena.’’ His eyes focus strongly on mine at that last part.

I slowly nod, upholding the heavy eye contact ‘’Do you know, why I look like her?’’

Bit of a mean question, since I know the answer and they don’t. But it would be weird if I had no questions about my 500 year old twin.

His eyebrows knit together as he takes a deep breath, ‘’It didn’t make any sense to me, you were a Gilbert, she was a Pierce. But the resemblance was too similar, and then I learned the truth.’’ He pauses and takes one of my hands in his.

‘’You’re adopted, Elena.’’ He softly says, his eyes still not leaving mine.

Oh yeah, I meant more of a supernatural explanation. Oops.

An awkward smile appears on my face, ‘’Yeah, knew that. My parents told me a while ago’’ Stefan’s pauses for a moment, probably not the answer he thought he was getting. But I really don't feel like pretending I care about Elena's overly complicated family tree.

Then Damon lets out a sharp laugh from across the room, breaking the tension.

Me and Stefan both turn to look at him. He holds up his hands, mocking innocence. “Oh, no, please, continue. This is too good.”

I raise a brow, ‘’You know. You also could’ve told me, Damon’’ I throw a accusatory look at him.

He gives me a grin and shrugs his shoulders, ‘’You never asked.’’

I sigh and throw my head back on the couch, ‘’Why did I expect anything different?”’ I mumble.

I turn back to Stefan, accepting that getting an apology out Damon isn’t possible. I give a small squeeze to his hand. “Stefan, I get why you did it. I really do.”

“I know you were trying to protect me, but I need you to trust me with this stuff. I need to be prepared for crazy vampires having an obsession or a grudge against Katherine. Because I doubt they’ll accept, ‘Hey I’m not Katherine, I just happen to look exactly like her!’. ‘’ I sigh.

Stefan listens intensely and nods along with my words, "You're right," he quietly says, his voice laced with guilt. ‘’I just… I didn’t want to put more on your plate. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to carry the weight of all of this. This connection between you and Katherine ,the danger that comes with it.’’

‘’At first, I thought it didn’t matter, that she was dead, out of my life. But I shouldn’t have made that choice for you, Elena. I’m sorry.’’

‘’And I’m also very happy I didn’t have to drop the ’you’re adopted’ bomb on you.’’ He chuckles.

I let out a small amused snort, shaking my head. ‘’You’re forgiven Stefan, but remember, this is your second strike.’’ I hold up two fingers with a teasing smile.

"Second strike, huh? Are we keeping score? Because last time I checked, I was somewhere around... I don’t know, strike 25? Or was it 50?" Damon mocks, leaning back on his chair.

I give him a flat look. “I think when you murdered my friend, that’s where you crossed into the triple digits.”

Damon's smirk falters for a split second before he recovers, his usual cocky grin tugging at his lips.

And then, as if on cue, the blast of "Barbie Girl" fills the room, cutting through the tension.
Damon groans, pulling my phone from his pocket and looking at the screen.

“Speak of the devil. Blondie’s calling. You might want to pick up. Forty-five missed calls doesn’t exactly scream ‘I’m fine,’ Elena.” He tosses my phone to me, his smirk still in place.

I roll my eyes but catch the phone easily. “Thanks, Damon.”

I press to accept the call and thankfully wait a moment before putting the phone to my ear.

“OH MY GOD, ELENA, ARE YOU OKAY? BONNIE’S WITH ME, WE WERE SO WORRIED. DID THAT UGLY OLD VAMPIRE HURT YOU? IF SO, I’M TOTALLY BEATING HER ASS NEXT—” I quickly press my hand against the speaker, cringing. While trying to accept the fact that I’m about to go deaf.

I glance between the Salvatores one last time before I get up, pulling my legs off Stefan’s lap.
“I’ve gotta take this.” I mumble, moving toward the hallway for some privacy. Although I doubt Damon and his vampire hearing have ever heard of that word.

Stefan nods and gives me a small, encouraging smile. Damon, on the other hand, raises an eyebrow. “Good luck.” He scoffs.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean, you can’t come?! Do you have any idea how much time I spent on this?” A very angry, very blonde vampire yells through the phone.

I sigh and collapse onto my bed, my face sinking into the soft pillow. “Caroline, Damon’s planning to crack open the tomb with a dozen hungry vampires. Maybe that’s a little more pressing?”

“What’s more important is that I asked Matt to be my date! And if you’re not there, Bonnie’s going to think I’m ditching her!” she whines.

I raise an eyebrow. “But you are ditching her.”

“That’s not the point, Elena!” She pauses, then sighs in defeat. “Fine, you’re right. But if it wraps up early, you better swing by. I spent hours on those decorations.”

I chuckle, remembering her complaining about being covered in blue paint for days. “Got it, Care. How are you handling the whole ‘vampire’ thing with Matt?”

Like in the show, Caroline has been mentioning her feelings for Matt lately. Thankfully, I didn’t have to play buzzkill and tell her that she should watch out for dating as a new vamp. Caroline has accepted the responsibility that comes with her power on her own.

‘’I’m still taking it slow, which is obviously boring. But Stefan gave me the whole spiel about how hard it is to control the urges around someone you love. So, yeah… mostly, it’s just hot hand-holding tomorrow.” She moans dramatically.

‘’Smart, and I think perhaps going slow with Matt is the best idea. He’s really more of the slow-burn romance type.’’ I confidently say as someone who has never, ever dated Matt Donovan and is aware that Rebekkah Mikaelson has a short fling with him. Which, I don’t remember much of, but I still think it was a little weird.

She hesitates, then nervously asks, “Uh... you don’t mind me going out with him, right? Because if you do, I’ll back off.” She sounds like she’s bracing for impact. Obviously knowing that dating a friend's ex is one of the biggest taboo’s ever.

Just below dating your friend's brother. Looking at you Bonnie Bennet.

I snort, “Matt’s more like a brother to me... and, okay, we did have a weird summer fling, but that was a lifetime ago. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Honestly, Matt’s one of the last guys on my “hot dream” list.

Her voice perks up, ‘’Great! And thanks for the advice Elena. Oh— before I forget, what are you going to do about the whole Anna-situation?’’

“Well, she’s downstairs right now, so I plan on handling it in a minute,” I chuckle, already anticipating the awkwardness.

I hear Caroline’s sharp intake of breath through the phone, followed by a loud thud. She either fell off or jumped off the bed with all of her vampire power.

“WHAT? Someone invited her in? Do I need to come over? Because I still want to punch that bitch.” She exclaims, outraged.

“Yeah, calm down, Vampire Buffy. Apparently, she’s got something going on with Jeremy,” I cringe.

Caroline mimics a puking sound

I sigh, ‘’Yeah.. It's still weird. I don’t know how he sucks that bad at finding girls his own age. But they seem to really like each other, and he already invited her in a couple days ago, unfortunately. ‘’

‘’So are you just going to let him fraternise with that old, murderous vampire. Who— and I can’t this stress enough, just kidnapped you?’’

“Honestly, with everything that’s going on right now, I’d rather he have someone who can protect him from the supernatural crap. I did slip more vervain in all of his drinks this morning though.’’

“Fair enough,” Caroline says with a sigh. “Let me know how it goes, Lena. Be safe.”

“Will do. Thanks, Care.” After hanging up, I toss my phone onto the nightstand, get out of bed, and head downstairs.

Loud chatter fills the house as I step into the living room. From the doorway, I spot dark curls and messy brown hair peeking over the couch. I feel like I’m channeling Jenna right now—ready to scold them for sitting too close.

I move over to a lounge chair. Before I even sit down, Jeremy and Anna quickly straighten up from their overly cozy position. It’s like they’re a normal couple who just got caught by an authority figure.

“Hey, brother,” I say with a smirk that could rival Damon’s.

Jeremy has an awkward smile on his face. I wonder if he has already found out about the whole vampire thing? I believe Anna makes an honest attempt to shield him from it, before he slices his fucking arm open to prove she was a vampire.

God the dramatics of teenage boys.

“Uh, hey Elena... This is Anna.” Jeremy stammers. I never knew I’d like embarrassing siblings this much.

Anna gives me a worried look, funny how the tables have turned. I’m guessing she’s afraid I’ll out her, or worse, I’ll disapprove of her being with Jeremy.

She offers a little wave. “Hi.” Her eyes meet mine briefly before darting down to her lap.

“Oh, we’ve met,” I grin, leaning in closer to the flustered couple. “Nice to see you again, Anna.”

Anna’s eyes widen in shock, clearly terrified I’ll spill the beans on our first encounter, which was far from friendly. I can’t help but notice that she’s genuinely nervous about her secret being exposed, which, honestly, proves that she’s starting to care about Jeremy.

Jeremy chuckles awkwardly, turning to Anna. “Really, why didn’t you say anything?”

Anna hesitates, clearly scrambling for a good excuse.

I step in, “Oh, we didn’t talk for long. I just let her use my phone because hers was dead. She needed to call her mom.”

Anna quickly nods, accepting my lie as good enough. ‘’Yeah, sorry forgot to mention it. My brain totally spaced out.’’ She laughs, regaining her composure.

I turn to Jeremy. “Don’t worry, Jer. I approve.” I give him a big-sister nod and a wink.

He chuckles, visibly more relaxed now. “Thanks, Lena.” He’s now comfortable enough to put his arm back around Anna. I snort under my breath at how awkward teenage romance can be.

Just then, Jeremy’s phone rings, and he quickly pulls it out of his pocket, flipping it open. “Oh, it’s Mr. Saltzman about my report. I’ll be right back.” He explains, heading to the kitchen. Anna gives him an approving smile, though I’m sure I’m the last person she wants to be alone with.

I hear Jeremy in the kitchen, talking enthusiastically about vampires. Good to know he’s getting over Vicky’s “disappearance” without the help of compulsion this time.

Anna turns toward me. “What do you want?” she hisses in a harsh whisper.

I raise an eyebrow. “Well, an apology for the whole kidnapping thing would be a nice start.” I scoff.

She rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. It was barely even 12 hours. Hardly qualifies as kidnapping. And your little boyfriends came to save you anyway.” She sneers.

It seems that she didn’t take it well that her plan didn’t work out. But to be honest, relying on Damon caring about someone else more than Katherine was pretty stupid.

I sigh, I’m really starting to doubt if vampires mentally grow after transitioning. Because now I just feel like I’m arguing with my hormonal teenage cousin.‘’Yeah, apology accepted. Now, what are your intentions with my little brother.’’

She scoffs, crossing her arms and leaning back on the couch, "Oh, so now you care about Jeremy? Funny, considering you barely noticed him before. But sure, play the concerned big sister now that I’m around."

Her answer is too quick and defensive to assume that Jeremy is just a pawn to her. And also, fair enough. Supernatural friends and Salvatore drama have been keeping me occupied lately. I only noticed yesterday that Jeremy has started drawing again. This morning Jenna also mentioned that Alaric told her that Jeremy was showing more interest in school and getting his grades up. In the show, it was probably due to Damon’s compulsion. But I guess I have Anna to thank for it now.

A big smile stretches across my face, which only makes Anna’s frown deepen.

“What’s so funny?” She snarls.

“Thanks, Anna, for taking care of him. You’re right—I haven’t had enough time for him lately. Mostly because I’ve been kidnapped...” I throw her a side-eye, to which she just shrugs and avoids my gaze. “Have you told him about your little secret yet?”

She gives me a guilty look. “No, but he’s been talking a lot about vampires. He found your ancestor’s journal from 1864. I tried to take his mind off it but—’’ She pauses.

It must be terribly hard to tell someone about who you really are as a vampire. Not only do you have to explain the whole concept of the supernatural to them, but also hope that they don’t start crying wolf and throw garlic at you.

I give her a sympathetic smile. “You’re scared he won’t accept you, huh?”

Anna takes a beat, thinking before shaking her head. ‘’I don’t want to have sappy heart to heart with you about my problems, Elena.’’

I shrug. “Fair enough. But I think you do want to talk to me about the tomb.”

She straightens up. “What’s there to talk about? You already know what I want, and I know you and your little Salvatores want to torch the thing.’’

Ugh, well let’s just get to the point before I have to interact with a grumpy teenager for any longer. ‘’I don’t want to kill your mother, Anna.’’

She eyes me warily. “That’s cute, Elena. But wanting and doing are two different things.” She breathes out.

I roll my eyes, sinking back into my chair. ‘’What I’m saying is that you can get your mother out of the tomb when Damon opens it. We won’t stand in your way.’’

She blinks, almost not believing that those words came out of my mouth. "You say that now, but when the time comes, will you actually let me walk in there and get her out? Or will you suddenly change your mind?"

This girl has some serious issues, my God.

I sigh. “Trust might not be your strong suit, but I’m trusting you won’t rip my brother’s throat out. Maybe you could try putting some faith in me too.”

She goes silent for a moment, hopefully accepting that I actually made a good point. Then she finally speaks, quieter than usual. "You’re asking me to trust you, but you don’t know what it’s like to have everything you care about taken away." The pain in her eyes almost makes me forget about my recent near death experience. But it also hits a little too close to home.

I shake my head, lowering my tone, ‘’I do what it knows how it feels to lose everything. It’s terrible what happened to your mother, but don’t believe for a second that I don’t think about my parents every goddamn night. I’ll never get to fucking see them again, I can never tell them how much I love them. Every damn time I wake up, I have to remember again that they’re not downstairs waiting for me. Everytime I come home from school, I have to remember that I can’t talk with them about my day. They won’t comfort me every again, because they’re fucking dead.’’ Only after finishing talking, I notice a tear rolling down my face.

I quickly wipe it away with my sleeve and clear my throat. Making sure my voice doesn’t show my emotion.

Anna’s expression softens. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that... I just... I can’t lose her again.” Her voice trembles, and I can see the sincerity in her eyes.

I reach out, placing my hand over hers. She tenses for a moment, but doesn’t pull away. “I promise, Anna. You’ll get your mother back.”

She gives me a small smile, a genuine one, for the first time. “Thank you, Elena. And... I really am sorry about the whole kidnapping thing. That wasn’t cool.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “It was barely kidnapping. All good.”

Chapter Text

The woods at night give me the chills—even more now that I know they’re crawling with 26 blood-starved vampires. Thankfully, not for long.

I turn to Stefan, who met me at the entrance of the woods. Ensuring I wouldn’t have to make this creepy as hell trip on my own.

“So, if we wrap this up quickly, wanna go to the school dance with me?”

He lets out a soft chuckle, giving me a curious look. “Does unsealing 27 murderous vampires really put you in the mood for dancing?”

I scoff. “Technically, we’re only unsealing two murderous vampires. The others are going enjoy being barbequed tonight.’’ I lift the gasoline can in my hand with a smirk.

“And—Caroline threatened me to go. Tonight, she’s the only vampire I’m actually afraid of.”

Stefan grins. “Ah, well, in that case, I have no choice but to escort you. For your safety, of course.”

I snort. “Oh, come on, you must have some dance moves to show off. Someone’s gotta teach these kids how people danced in the ‘50s.”

He smirks, tilting his head. “I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to show up everyone with my superior ‘50s dance moves.”

I narrow my eyes. “Oh, so you’re saying you were actually good?”

He shrugs casually. “Well… I wasn’t bad.”

I grin. “Guess you’ll have to prove that tonight.”

His smirk softens, amusement flashing in his eyes. “I guess I will.”

The flickering light in the distance leads us to a clearing in the woods. In front of a large stone wall, built into the base of a hill, stand two figures—a noticeable distance apart.
As Stefan and I descend the slope, both turn to look up at us.

“You two must’ve really enjoyed each other’s company,” I quip, glancing between the equally annoyed expressions on Anna and Damon’s faces.

Anna sighs dramatically. “I almost wish I had been locked in a tomb for 145 years.”

Damon smirks darkly. “That can always be arranged.”

I chuckle. “Well, let’s just get on with it. I’ve got better things to do.” I glance at Stefan, who offers me a small, knowing smile.

“No arguments here,” Anna mutters, stepping forward. She moves toward the hidden staircase, barely visible behind a mess of overgrown brush and loose stones.

Behind me, Damon snickers. “Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of things to do after this too.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I sigh, rolling my eyes. “And none of us are interested in what those things are.”

Ignoring his scoff, I follow the others down the stone steps.

At the bottom, we step into a circular chamber, its walls lined with surprisingly well-preserved bricks. The focal point, however, is the large stone door in the center—etched with a pentagram in true witchy fashion.

My attention shifts to Damon as he pulls the amber necklace from his pocket. He holds it up toward the door, arm outstretched.

Nothing happens

I raise an eyebrow. “Uh… aren’t you supposed to say a spell or something?”

Damon groans. “No. It’s just supposed to open.”

Anna scoffs. “So the witch told you to wave it around like a dumbass and that would magically work?”

Damon turns to glare at her, his jaw tight. “Remind me again why we didn’t kill her?”

Before anyone can respond, a deep grinding noise fills the chamber. The stone door shifts, dragging against the floor as it slowly retracts into the tomb.

Silence falls.

Beside me, Anna tightens her grip on the blood bag in her hands. Her expression is unreadable, but I can feel the weight of her anticipation.

I give her a small nod and an encouraging smile.

A gust of wind, and she’s gone—vanishing into the tomb without hesitation.

Damon lingers at the threshold, hesitating just long enough to glance back at Stefan and me.

“Go get her, Damon,” Stefan says softly.

Another rush of air, and he’s gone too.

That leaves just me and Stefan in the deeply unsettling chamber.

I glance at him. If Katherine were actually in there, I might’ve suggested he stay back—but thankfully, he won’t be running into that nightmare tonight. Though, something tells me she’s not going to stay gone for long.

I nudge him lightly. “You still have clothes from the ‘50s, right? Can’t have my date underdressed.”

He tilts his head slightly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You know… I don’t think I’ve worn anything from the ‘50s since I actually lived through it.”

I smirk. “Well, if you’re short on vintage options, I’m sure Damon has a leather jacket you can borrow. Since it’s basically his entire personality.”

Stefan exhales sharply, shaking his head. “I don’t even want to think about what’s happened in those jackets—let alone wear one.”
Fair enough. I don’t think even industrial-grade dry cleaning could wash out Damon’s sins.

“If vampires could get STDs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Damon was the first documented case,” I mutter.

Stefan lets out a laugh—but before I can properly bask in my own wit, Anna reappears at the tomb’s entrance, supporting a taller woman against her side.
The resemblance is undeniable—raven-black hair, though straight instead of curled, and a dress that was probably once beautiful but is now tattered and stained with dirt. Her wide eyes flick between us, trying to make sense of where she is.

Anna’s expression is radiant with joy. “I’m taking her back to my place to recover. Thank you, Elena.” Her voice is thick with emotion, her smile brighter than I’ve ever seen.
Before I can respond, she vanishes into the night.

I let out a breath. Huh. Not screwing something up for once actually feels kinda nice. Definitely worth almost getting choked to death.

I turn back to Stefan, ready to shamelessly brag about my good deeds—but a bloodcurdling scream from inside the tomb cuts me off.

Right. That part.

See, I can help Anna reunite with her mom. But I can’t work miracles. Damon’s about to have a very unpleasant reality check, and Stefan and I? We’re officially back on “keep Damon from going on a murder spree” duty.

Stefan’s hand lands gently on my shoulder as he sets down his gasoline can.

“I’ll go check. Stay here.” His tone is firm, his expression worried.

I nod immediately.

Which leaves me alone in the dark, creepy occult chamber.

Now, I could go in and help.
…But I’d really prefer not to be the only human snack 25 hungry vampires have seen in the last 145 years.
Hard pass.

A text from Caroline pops up on my phone.

"R things going OK? Me and Bonnie really hope you can swing by ASAP."

Attached to the message is a photo of Bonnie and Caroline, both faking a pout while holding two cups of punch. They clearly spent hours on their outfits and makeup.

I groan. “Ugh.” This is taking too long. They won’t forgive me if I don’t show up at all—we’ve been planning this for weeks. And not to sound insensitive to Damon, but that bitch is so not worth having a meltdown over.

I abandon my previous, much safer plan and turn on my phone’s flashlight. A feature that thankfully already had been invented. The cold air in the tomb sends a shiver down my spine as I step forward.

My feet only touch the ground in front of me, when I’ve made sure that there are no weird dessicated corpses in front of me.

I follow the sounds of loud screaming, which isn’t easy. Given that the entire tomb is echoing with it.

A light reflection on the tomb's walls leads me to one of the smaller chambers, further down the tomb.

‘’She’s not worth it, Damon!’’ Stefan’s yells bounce all around the room.

I peek around the corner, locking eyes Damon’s despair filled ones. A crushed blood bag is still being strangled in his hand. His hair looks bewildered, almost like he’d been trying to rip it out.

I scan the room before focussing back on Damon, ‘’She’s not here?’’ I softly question. Praying Damon’s bewildered state distracts him from my less-than-stellar acting.

Damon’s shoulders rise and fall with each unsteady breath, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “She’s not here.” He repeats, his voice eerily calm.

I exchange a glance with Stefan, who looks just as uncertain about this whole situation as I do.

Stefan steps forward. “Damon—”

Before he can finish, Damon lets out a sharp, bitter laugh. "No, really. It’s funny, isn’t it? All these years. All this time. And she was never even fucking here."

The laughter dies as suddenly as it started. Then, without warning, his fist collides with the stone wall—hard enough that cracks splinter through it.

I flinch. "Damon, stop!"

His gaze snaps to me.

Before I can react, he’s right there. Inches away. His breath comes in sharp, fast bursts. My heart pounds as I instinctively step back—only to hit the stone wall behind me.

"Why? So I can go pretend I’m fine?" His voice is low, vibrating with restrained rage. "That I didn’t spend my entire life waiting for a woman who didn’t give a single shit about me?"

From the corner of my eye, I see Stefan walk toward us. His eyes meet mine with fear, obviously understanding the danger Damon could pose in this state.

“Damon, let’s just go.” He places a hand on Damon’s shoulder.

Damon instantly shrugs him off without moving his gaze.

“And you’re still here. Why? Enjoying the show?” Lethal sarcasm drips from his voice.

Time to pull out the Elena Gilbert card, you can say a lot about the girl. But she sure as hell could talk some empathy into a murderous vampire.

I take a slow breath, “I’m sorry she isn’t here, Damon. But she’s not worth another second of your time. Let’s go home, please.”

For a long moment, he just looks at me. His expression unreadable.

Then, quietly, he asks, “Why do you even care?”

My breath hitches in my throat for a moment, not enjoying being questioned by a vampire having a mental breakdown from this close.

But good question. From the show, I know that Damon probably won’t go on a murdering spree. There is no ticking time bomb that the tomb is about to close, so why do I care?

Probably because I saw his entire life, his shitty childhood, shitty father and even shittier girlfriend. And perhaps, even through all the terrible, horrible things he has done. Damon Salvatore has started to grow on me, and right now I actually feel genuine empathy for him.

I look back at Damon, his usual cocky demeanor is gone. No sarcasm. No smirks. It almost creeps me out a little.

I exhale. "Because you deserve better than this, Damon."

His eyes flicker, scanning my face as if searching for a lie.

Then, finally, he lets out a breath, his shoulders sagging just slightly. “Well, since you asked so nicely…” He throws his hands up in mock surrender. “Fine. Let’s go. We’ve still got some vampires to roast.”

The smirk that follows is small—forced, even—but I’ll take it over self-destructive breakdown Damon.

I stand there for a second, processing the fact that my Elena impersonation actually worked.

A warm hand presses lightly against my back.

Stefan.

He gives me a reassuring smile. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”

I nod, already moving toward the exit. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

I follow Damon all the way until we’re back above ground. He takes a few steps into the clearing before pausing and turning back to face me.

“Well, that was a riveting waste of time.” He smirks, but it still seems a tad off. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some long-overdue vampire barbecue to attend to.” He tilts his head. “Unless, of course, either of you want the honor of lighting the match?”

I glance at Stefan, who stands beside me, watching as Damon starts gathering up the cans. I think we both understand that letting Damon handle massive amounts of dangerous chemicals isn’t the best move for anyone right now.

Stefan steps forward, his tone measured. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We can finish it. Go home, get some rest.”

Damon scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Oh please, Stefan. What, you think I’m gonna go cry into my pillow? Eat two tubs of ice cream? I came here for a reason, and I’m damn well finishing it.”

I vaguely hear Stefan respond, trying to reason with him, but my attention shifts to the treeline on our right. A glint of light—faint, but there. Like something moving between the trees, reflecting the moonlight.

I take a step forward, squinting into the shadows, trying to make out a figure—

A flash of silver.

Moving fast.

My stomach drops, but not because it’s aimed for me.

Without thinking, I lunge. "Damon!"

I collide into him, knocking him to the ground just as the cans clatter from his grip. His arms instinctively wrap around my waist as we hit the dirt.

Damon groans beneath me. “Well, that’s one way to shut me up. Not that I mind—” His smirk barely has time to form before—

CRACK.

A bullet slams into the rock behind us, missing by barely a meter. The sharp ricochet slices through the air.

Damon’s smirk vanishes.

In a blur, he flips us, his body shielding mine for a fraction of a second before he rolls off completely and springs to his feet. His entire stance shifts—muscles coiled, eyes razor-sharp, head tilting slightly as he listens.

Predator mode. Sometimes I forget what vampires actually are.

“Well, that just killed the mood,” he mutters, voice low, lethal.

His gaze snaps to Stefan. “Tell me you saw where that came from.”

Stefan is already moving. “No.” His tone is clipped, focused.

He’s at my side in an instant, extending his hand. I grab it, and the moment I’m upright, he pulls me behind him—swift and instinctive.

His posture is rigid, shoulders squared, scanning the dark treeline with the same sharpened intensity as Damon. I can practically see his senses kicking in, listening, waiting for the slightest shift in movement.

I point toward the part of the treeline I saw the bullet emerge from, my pulse still racing. “It came from there, I think.”

Damon lets out a cold, humorless chuckle. “As if tonight couldn’t get any better.”

I turn to Stefan, lowering my voice so I don’t break his concentration. “Can you tell where they are?”

He shakes his head, scanning the darkness. “No. Whoever they are, they know how to stay hidden. We need to get out of here.”

“Hell no.” Damon scoffs, his entire body unnervingly still. “Someone just tried to blow my brains out—so I think it’s only fair I return the favor.”

Swoosh.

Before I can even process what’s happening, the world blurs around me—one second I’m standing behind Stefan, the next I’m two meters away, locked in his tight grip.

His chest rises and falls quickly, but his hands are steady. My breath catches as I realize why he moved me.

I turn just in time to see another bullet embed itself into the dirt where I’d been standing.

Stefan’s hand comes up, gently cradling the back of my head. “Are you okay?”

I nod quickly, swallowing hard. Not eager to dwell on the fact that I was almost shot to death.

As I try to look back at the trees, my gaze catches Damon’s. His expression is different now—dark, dangerous.

His voice is cold. “Found him.” a deep, disturbing grin grows on his face.

And then, before either of us can react, he vanishes, speeding toward the treeline like a lion on the hunt.

I snap my head toward Stefan. “He’s going to be fine, right?” My voice wavers, uncertainty creeping in.

Stefan exhales sharply, his jaw tight, but there’s a flicker of doubt in his eyes. “He’ll be fine.” The words sound more like he’s trying to convince himself than me.

Chapter Text

Stefan’s tight grip on me softens as he seems to pick up on something in the distance. His face twists in confusion. I take a hesitant step back, giving him space as my gaze follows his.
Unfortunately, I forgot that my hearing isn’t nearly as sharp, and right now, there’s not even a glint of movement to give anything away.

“What’s happening?” I whisper to Stefan.

He tears his eyes away from the forest to meet mine. His mouth opens—

Swoosh.

I stumble back as Damon suddenly materializes in front of us. My eyes scan him quickly, searching for any fresh injuries or bloodstains. The only thing I notice is an old smear on his knuckles. But the real problem isn't Damon—it's the man he's gripping by the scruff of his camo jacket.

The middle-aged man dangles awkwardly in Damon’s grasp, his hair a mess of twigs and leaves, like he'd been used to break a few trees on his way here. As I focus on his face—bruised, bloodied nose—I let out a sharp gasp.

“Mr. Saltzman?!”

Damon turns to me, eyebrows lifting. “You know this asshole?” His confusion outweighs his usual arrogance.

“He’s our history teacher” My gaze flicks between them as I take a step forward, noting how Alaric’s frantic eyes dart between me, Stefan, and his surroundings—like prey searching for an escape. That ridiculous Gilbert family ring gleams on his finger. Seriously, could it be any more kitsch?

Damon scoffs, raising a brow. “What, you didn’t turn in your homework or something?”

I glare. “Ha ha, hilarious, Damon. Maybe instead of cracking jokes, you ask him why he just tried to decorate the forest with our brains.” My patience is already thin—this whole situation is just wrong. I knew Alaric tried to kill Damon once, but not this soon and not with me and Stefan present.

Damon rolls his eyes. “If he’s dumb enough to shoot at vampires with silver bullets, I doubt he has much else to offer.” His fangs flash, veins darkening beneath his skin.

From the corner of my eye, I see Stefan tense, about to intervene. But before he can, Alaric speaks first.

“They’re laced with vervain.” He grits out, his head rolling back just enough to lock eyes with Damon.

Damon stills for a beat—then lets out a slow, amused breath.

‘’Oh! He speaks.’’ Damon pulls Alaric in front of him, blocking my view of his face. ‘’So, wanna explain why you’re going all Van Helsing on us in the middle of the woods?’’

Although I don’t really agree with the ethics of this interrogation, I really need answers right now. Not like Alaric will actually die anyway.

“You killed my wife,” Alaric spits out, his voice shaky, but his anger still there.

Damon smirks, amused. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.”

I bite back the urge to roll my eyes. Isobel, of course. But why did Alaric attack now, of all nights? He’s outnumbered and outclassed, yet here he is, picking a fight.

“North Carolina. Her name was Isobel,” Alaric murmurs, his voice softening when he speaks her name. I’ve always wondered why Alaric and Damon became besties, but having your life ruined by two evil vampire bitches must spark some connection.

Damon hums as though considering it, feigning deep thought.

“I get why you’d want to kill Damon, but why shoot at Elena?” Stefan finally speaks up, his voice cutting through the tension.

Alaric turns his head slightly, his gaze briefly locking with mine, regret flickering in his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to shoot her. I was trying to shoot you.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What did Stefan do to you?” The question bursts out before I can stop it.

“He’s a vampire. They’re dangerous, Elena.” Alaric’s words are filled with an unmistakable fear—not for himself, but for me.

I glance at Stefan, who stands silently, his posture tense. I could argue that Stefan isn’t like that, but the truth is, I’d probably end up like Vicky Donovan if I weren’t wearing this face.

I shake my head slowly. “He won’t hurt me.” God that sounded a little too Bella Swan for my liking.

Alaric gives me a look—disappointment so thick it almost feels like a slap. It’s worse than when I got a C- on my last history test.

I glance to my right. Stefan’s eyes are locked on me, a mixture of relief and confusion washing over his face.

“But I’ll hurt you.” Damon’s voice is low, a grin stretching across his face as Alaric’s lifeless body hits the ground with a sickening thud, neck bent at an unnatural angle.

I quickly tear my eyes away, my stomach turning.

“Damon...” I groan, but it’s more irritation than anger—after all, I know Mr. Saltzman will be back in front of the class tomorrow. But it sucks that he just killed any chance of me figuring this shit out.

“What?” Damon looks at me, as if it’s obvious. “He tried to kill me, Stefan, and he’s probably on vervain. Plus, he almost made collateral damage out of you, Elena.” His tone softens on the last part.

I suppose Damon has a point. They don’t know anything about Alaric. What would be the difference between this and Logan situation? Definitely that Alaric isn’t such a massive dick and has decent hair, but Damon couldn’t know that.

“Yeah, I guess.” I mumble, crossing my arms as I look at them both. Stefan has a regretful expression, but he also knows that unfortunately, Damon is right for once.

“It’s definitely two to one for rescues right now.” Damon gestures between him and me with a smirk.

I scoff. “Dude, I practically tackled you like you were the president to save you from that bullet. It’s more like two to one-and-a-half for me.”

Damon rubs the back of his head with a mock wince. “You nearly gave me a concussion with that stunt. That definitely takes a point off your score.”

“Drama queen.” I shake my head as I move toward the gasoline canisters. Time to wrap it all up.

I turn back to face the brothers, a smirk pulling at my lips. “Damon, since you killed my history teacher, for the second time, I might add, you can take care of the body.”

Stefan steps beside me, taking the remaining cans in stride.

Damon deadpans. “Really? After saving you both from the mid-life crisis vampire slayer, I have to do the cleanup?”

Stefan shrugs, lifting the gasoline. “We don’t have any more cans, sorry, Damon.”

I can barely suppress my laughter as I catch a matching smirk on Stefan’s face.

With a resigned sigh, Damon finally relents, taking the body in stride as the janitor of this whole mess.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

As I make my way down the old stairs for the second time, I let out a quiet breath of relief. God I’m glad this tomb stuff is about to wrap up, the tomb vampires have been at the back of mind for the past weeks. Now Pearl is back with her daughter and all the evil vampires can finally go to hell. I do feel a little bit bad about Harper though. But I’m not complicating this any more than it already has been.

"I can take care of it if you're not feeling well, Elena," Stefan’s voice, gentle yet firm, sounds from behind me.

I chuckle, shaking my head as my feet hit the chamber floor. "Unfortunately, I think I’m getting used to all of this."

Seeing Mr. Tanner, Vicky, Ben, and Noah all get brutally murdered in front of me must have desensitized me a little to the whole ‘witnessing death’ thing. Or maybe the fact that Alaric isn’t actually dead is keeping my mind too preoccupied to spiral into full-blown PTSD. Either way, the only thing on my mind right now is lighting up the tomb—and hoping Caroline hasn’t spiked the punch yet.

When I turn, Stefan is watching me, his expression tight with something unreadable. He takes a step closer, voice laced with regret. "Elena, I never wanted this for you—this life, this world… it wasn’t supposed to be yours."

I sigh, shaking my head. "Stefan, if I had never met you, the first vampire I would’ve run into would’ve been your brother. And we both know how that would’ve ended." My lips twitch, but the humor doesn’t quite reach my eyes. "So don’t feel guilty."

His jaw tightens. "Yes, but… with what Mr. Saltzman said—he was right. We—I am dangerous."

I hold his gaze, my brows drawing together. "Yeah. I know."

That clearly isn’t the response he was expecting. But there’s no point in mindfucking myself that any of the people I surround myself with, couldn’t rip my head off in a second if they wanted to.
Stefan takes another step toward me, forcing me to look up at him. "Then, how can you just accept that so easily?" he breathes out, like he genuinely can’t wrap his head around it.

I blink at him, then shrug. "Honestly? I ask myself that a lot. Sometimes it still doesn’t feel real." A small smirk tugs at my lips, the double meaning completely lost on him.

"But Stefan, I’ve been kidnapped, choked, nearly killed, shot at—and I’ve lost count of how many supernatural disasters I’ve barely survived." I lift my fingers one by one, ticking off each incident.

Stefan still gives me a tense look. I reach out, squeezing his arm gently.

"And if I’m still standing, it’s because you’ve been there for me." My voice is quieter now, more sincere. Then I add with a playful smirk, "Maybe Damon helped a little too, but don’t tell him that—it’ll go straight to his head."

Stefan exhales, finally letting out a small, amused sigh as he rubs his temple. "I hate that you have a list."

His eyes darken slightly. "But I swear, Elena… I won’t let it get any longer. Not if I can help it. I’ll keep you safe." His voice is steady, like it’s not just a promise but an unshakable vow.

Before I can respond, his hand lifts to my cheek, thumb brushing lightly against my skin. as if reinforcing the words he just spoke.
I swallow, lost in the warmth of his touch, in the sincerity in his voice. In this moment, I believe him.

I cannot ever imagine that Stefan would hurt me, because he never purposely hurt Elena.

Except… I’m not her. Would he actually hurt me if he found out who I really was?

Stefan doesn’t move at first—just lingers, his fingers warm and steady against my cheek. But then, slowly, he leans in, just a fraction, his gaze flickering down to my lips for the briefest second before returning to my eyes.

My breath catches.

The space between us feels suddenly too small, the air too hot, and for a split second, I feel myself leaning in too—

Nope.

This feels wrong. I’m just as bad as Katherine trying to pull this kind of thing while pretending to be Elena. Also, this is literally the worst place to kiss someone—even someone as stupidly hot as Stefan.

I step back, the cool air brushing against my face as Stefan’s hand falls away. His eyes flicker with something—sadness? Disappointment?—but he quickly regains his composure.

Okay, awkward.

"Well!" I blurt out, my voice a little too loud as I clap my hands together. "Let’s get on with it. We still have a dance to attend, after all."

I reach for the gasoline canisters next to me, trying to act casual—except I miss the handle the first three times before actually grabbing it.

When I glance up, Stefan’s lips twitch, his amusement clear.

"Yeah," he says, shaking his head slightly. "Let’s get it over with."

Right. Perfect. Now let’s pretend that never happened and focus on arson instead.

Very healthy coping mechanism.

When I finally step back into the tomb, an uneasy feeling washes over me, like a cold shiver creeping up my spine. My eyes scan the now dimly lit room, the nauseating smell of gasoline lingering thick in the air. Something’s wrong. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach, a gnawing sensation that I can’t quite explain. But I can’t figure out why. I walk a bit further down the damp cavern. Splashing the liquid on every corpse that comes into my reach, I finish up quickly.

As I exit the tomb, now for the last time. I give the tomb one last look. The feeling in my gut refuses to leave, a persistent weight that settles deeper as Stefan flicks the lighter, tossing it into the tunnel. The flames erupt, licking the air in bright, fiery orange hues, illuminating the chamber for the last time. My attention is only pulled away when I feel a warm and steadying hand on my shoulder.

I turn to find Stefan standing there, his smile soft and reassuring.

"Come on," he says, his voice gentle, though I can hear the hint of something lighter underneath. "We’ve got a dance to go to."

I force a smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. The unease still lingers, feeling like it will bite me in the ass very soon.

"Yeah," I reply, my voice distant, as I look toward the tombs exit, the light flickering behind me. "Let’s go."

Chapter Text

I stare at the picture of two teenage cheerleaders on my computer screen. The one with fuzzy hair has a big smile on her face. The dark-haired girl beside her, though—she looks like she’s auditioning for America’s Next Top Model. I guess Katherine’s genes didn’t just pass down her looks but also her signature bitchiness.

I’ve considered visiting Trudy Peterson, Isobel’s old best friend. But that would only end with her dead and me no closer to the answers I need. So, for now, it’s best to wait for Isobel to make her next move. Why did she show up again? If I remember right, she definitely was after the vampire compass.. Luckily, I managed to salvage it from my tragic car wreck. Not that it matters anymore. With all the tomb vampires, save for Pearl, currently rotting in hell instead of the tomb, the compass is useless.

Also, she was working together with Katherine I believe, so it might be too much to hope that she won’t show up at all. Even if there’s no use for the compass anymore, Isobel could work pretty well as a spy.

It’s probably a good idea to mention to Stefan that ‘’my’’ biological mother is actually Alaric’s ‘’missing’’ wife who got ‘’killed’’ by his brother.

After snapping a picture of Isobel with my phone, I slam my laptop shut and grab my bag. Time for another thrilling day at school. Which I now have to bike to because my car got wrecked, and Bonnie and Caroline drank too much last night to be my chauffeurs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

“Matt’s mom came back?” I raise a brow as Caroline, Bonnie, and I make our way down the hallway.

“Yeah, and she very obviously does not like me. I have no idea why. What’s there not to like?” Caroline sighs, groaning dramatically.

“Well—” I start, about to mention her being a sloppy drunk, but before I can, Bonnie discreetly jabs me in the ribs.

“What Elena means to say,” Bonnie jumps in while I rub my side, “is that she just has to get to know you. Don’t let it get to you, Care.”

Caroline nods, perking up. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s focus on the real problem—why do we still have history today? I thought Damon got us a free period for a few weeks.”

“Good to see you have your priorities straight,” Bonnie scoffs, throwing her a sharp side-eye.

Caroline raises her hands in defense. “What? You guys don’t think it’s weird?”
Not really.

“I guess,” I say with little conviction. “Maybe the school finally found more substitute teachers after Tanner’s death set us back a semester.”

As we step into the history classroom and find our seats, I turn to Caroline. “What’s even weirder is a vampire with a hangover.”

Caroline scoffs. “Well, Elena, your boyfriend actually suggested that alcohol helps with the urges.” She crosses her arms, feigning offense.

Bonnie rolls her eyes. “Were two vodka bottles really necessary? I think I got secondhand alcohol poisoning just standing next to you.”

I burst out laughing as Caroline clutches her chest in mock outrage, mouth open to defend herself—only for it to snap shut as someone walks through the doorway.

Alaric Saltzman.

He looks rough as he makes his way to his desk, dropping his bag onto it with a thud. When he turns toward me, his gaze lingers, an unreadable expression on his face. And suddenly, I remember—I should be shocked by this. My brows furrow as I whip back around to my friends.

“I thought Damon killed him?!” Caroline hisses, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in disbelief.

“He did. Snapped his neck.” My voice is quiet.

Bonnie leans in. “Do you think he’s a… you-know-what?” Her eyes flick between Alaric and us.

“You can say the word ‘vampire,’ Bonnie. He’s not Voldemort,” Caroline deadpans.

I exhale. “I’ll talk to Stefan after school—maybe he knows something.” My gaze drifts to the empty seat beside me. Stefan’s absence isn’t surprising. He’s probably too busy playing Damon’s personal rehab coach to keep up his high school student act. Hopefully, he can handle two bombshells in one day.

The girls nod, and we all turn forward, bracing ourselves for the most awkward history lesson ever.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Thankfully, after school, Jenna returned from college and lent me her car—saving me from biking all the way to the boarding house. And for once, when I ring the doorbell, the person I’m actually looking for opens it.

“Hey, Elena. Come in.” Stefan steps aside, looking relieved as I walk past him.

The moment I step inside, loud party music blasts from the living room. I raise a brow, glancing at the various pieces of clothing scattered across the carpet and furniture. Yeah, this definitely has Damon’s century-life crisis written all over it.

“You wanted to talk about something?” Stefan asks as I turn to face him.

“Yeah. You missed a very exciting day at school. But considering your house currently looks like Girls Gone Wild filmed a special here, I guess that checks out.” I chuckle, eyeing the disaster zone that is their hallway.

Stefan sighs, his face dropping into a look of pure exhaustion. “It’s been like this all day. First, he nearly drank the entire bourbon supply, and now I come home to… this.” He gestures toward a lace top hanging from the chandelier.

I try—and fail—to suppress a smile. “Well, unfortunately, I’m about to make your day even worse.”

Stefan crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes. “Am I going to regret opening the door for you?”

“Depends on where ‘our history teacher being very much not dead’ lands on your bad news scale.” I exhale.

In an instant, his exhaustion is replaced with sharp focus. “What happened?”

“Well, Mr. Saltzman gave a riveting lecture on the Cold War today, so unless he has an identical twin, I’d say Damon did a pretty bad job killing him.” I joke, though it doesn’t quite fit the weight of what this could mean.

Stefan frowns. “Do you think he turned?”

I let out a short laugh. “That’s actually what I came here to ask you. But honestly? I doubt it. A newborn vampire wouldn’t just waltz into work like nothing happened.”

Stefan shakes his head, his expression darkening. “You’re right. But if he’s something else, that might be even worse. As much as I hate to say it, we need to talk to Damon. Maybe he knows more about his wife.”

I arch a brow, glancing toward the living room. “Is that really a good idea? Given the… state he’s in?”

Stefan sighs. “Probably not. But I doubt Alaric will tell us anything. Look, I get it if you don’t want to deal with him right now.” His gaze lingers on mine, and for a brief second, I’m pulled back to last night. To everything.

I shake my head, clearing the thoughts away. “Nah. You’ve dealt with Damon alone enough. Let’s go.”

Stefan gives me a small smile before we follow the music to the living room—where Damon is, predictably, half-naked. And the girls with him? Even more naked, barely hanging on to their bras and skirts.

Without hesitation, Stefan flips on the lights. Damon squints as the brightness floods the room, his grip on the dark-haired girl he’s slow dancing with loosening.

“Oh no,” he groans, glaring at us. “Buzzkill Bobs.”

I walk over to the table and switch off the speaker, finally silencing the god-awful music. Finally some quiet in my head.

Damon’s gaze shifts to me, a lazy smirk on his lips. But something about him feels… off. Maybe it’s just the alcohol, but there’s something else—something sad. Where’s Camille the vampire psychologist when you need her?

“Can we talk?” Stefan asks, clearly repulsed by the entire scene

Damon gives a short affirmation, before touching back on the girl in front of him. The other girls around them still keep dancing, without the music playing, which gives me the creeps.

‘’Without the tri-delts.’’ Stefan adds, his gaze moving over the scene in front of us.

Damon waves him off. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of them.” He wiggles his eyebrows, looking between the compelled girls. “They’re very good at keeping secrets.”

I barely stop myself from gagging. But for the sake of actually getting somewhere, I bite my tongue. “Please, Damon. It’s important.” My voice is steady, unwavering.

Damon tilts his head, his smirk deepening. “Important? Nothing is important anymore.” He gestures lazily at the chaos around him. Then, after a beat, he sighs dramatically. “Fine. But only because you said ‘please,’ and I’m feeling generous.”

He claps his hands together. “Alright, ladies—fun’s over. Go be beautiful somewhere else.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------->

"Who cares if he's not dead? I'll just kill him again." Damon slurs, completely unfazed by the news that his streak of murdering history teachers has officially been broken.

I roll my eyes as Stefan takes a step closer, attempting to talk some sense into him. "Because, Damon, Alaric wants to kill both of us. And apparently... he can’t be killed." His voice is firm, but there’s an edge of frustration creeping in.

Damon sighs dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Just because he didn’t die the first time doesn’t mean he won’t the second. We died once and came back, and—unfortunately—we can still be killed."

"Maybe we don’t have to focus on how to kill him just yet," I cut in, bringing the score to two against one in the ongoing battle to reason with Damon. "Not if you know something about his wife."

Damon leans lazily against one of the wooden pillars in the living room, looking entirely uninterested. "Look, Elena, I’ve killed a lot of people in my lifetime. No way I’m gonna remember one specific name." He drags out the last few words, his voice laced with boredom.

I pull out my phone, flipping to the picture of Isobel and her friend before holding it up to his face. "The one on the left. Isobel. Ring any bells?"

Damon snatches the phone from my hand and squints at the screen like a grandmother trying to read fine print. "Yeah, still nothing." Then, with a smirk, he adds, "But hey, if she was into me, she had great taste. So at least she died happy."

And just like that, logic loses to Damon yet again.

Stefan exhales sharply. "Damon—"

Before he can finish, Damon tosses my phone back to me. I barely catch it, my patience wearing thin. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take a deep breath. "I know you’re going through a lot right now, but just try to remember, okay? Maybe when you’re a little more sober. Preferably before Alaric decides to go full Buffy the Vampire Slayer on you."

Damon pauses, a lazy grin creeping onto his lips. "Aww, you’re worried about me. That’s adorable." He steps forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "But don’t be. I’ve got it all under control."

His tone is light, almost amused, but his eyes—clouded with something unreadable—betray him.

"I mean, my grand mission? Accomplished. I opened the tomb. Sure, Katherine wasn’t actually in there waiting for me to rescue her, but hey—details." He gestures vaguely with his bourbon bottle before resting his other hand on my opposite shoulder, his gaze locking onto mine like he’s trying to convince himself of his own words more than me.

"And now, dear Elena," he continues, voice dripping with sarcasm, "I get to do whatever the hell I want. And some D-list, fake-immortal vampire hunter isn’t gonna stop me."

Before I can respond, he boops my nose—yes, boops—then turns on his heel, striding back toward his half-dressed entourage.

I stare after him, deadpan. Then, turning to Stefan, I arch a brow. "I won’t say ‘I told you so,’ but…"

Stefan sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, yeah, you were right. He’s not ready to deal with this yet. We’ll just have to keep an eye on Alaric ourselves and figure out what happened with Isobel."
At his words, I suddenly remember the other reason I came to see Stefan. I glance down briefly, debating how to phrase it.

"What?" Stefan’s eyes narrow slightly, picking up on my hesitation.

I give him a sheepish smile. "Well… there was one more thing I wanted to tell you."

His expression shifts, slightly wary but mostly resigned. "It can’t be worse than the conversation we just had. What is it?"

I shift my weight, dragging it out just a little. "Well… Isobel may or may not be… my birth mother."

I wait for the inevitable shocked reaction.

Stefan blinks. Once. Twice. His face unreadable. "How do you know?"

"My parents told me her name years ago, but I never really looked into her. She did abandon me, after all." I let out an awkward chuckle, trying to inject some emotion into it—but honestly? I couldn’t care less about Isobel Flemming.

"Then Alaric mentioned his dead wife—Isobel. At first, it seemed like a stretch, since he’s not even from Mystic Falls, but I checked. Isobel Flemming, born here. Later went to Duke in North Carolina, which—conveniently—is the same university Alaric attended."

Stefan takes a slow breath, processing. "Which would mean…" His brows knit together. "Your birth mother is dead." There’s an intensity to the way he says it, like he’s trying to brace me for some kind of emotional reaction I just don’t have.

He steps forward, his expression full of sympathy. "Elena, I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to Damon again—he must know something."

His sincerity is almost too much. Like he’s the one who killed her, instead of—well, Damon.

I force a small smile. "Yeah… thanks, Stefan." A nasty feeling of guilt settles in my stomach, I can't wait to get all this Isobel bullshit over with.

Chapter Text

"He’s already been hit on like, 35 times. Total cougar bait," Caroline smirks, leaning her arms on the counter in front of her.

Like every Mystic Falls event, Caroline is deeply involved in today’s fundraiser—an auction where single, middle-aged men (most definitely divorced) get paraded on stage for a bunch of equally single, middle-aged women to bid on them.

Being the amazing friend that I am, I showed up to keep Caroline entertained while she sells tickets to this glorified dating lottery.

A look of pure disgust spreads across my face as I glance at Matt. "Gross. Half these women knew you when you were in diapers."

Matt sighs, rubbing his temples. "I know. But at least when this dumb auction starts, they’ll stop hitting on me."

Caroline huffs, "It’s not dumb. It’s a Mystic Falls tradition."

Matt and I exchange a knowing look. "Right. Because the desperate housewives of Mystic Falls are truly upholding this town’s legacy," I chuckle.

Caroline flashes a proud grin. "Exactly. And guess where all that money goes?" She points to herself. "Me. When I win Miss Mystic Falls and get the prize fund."

I gasp dramatically, placing a hand on my chest. "Are you saying I’m doomed to lose to Caroline Forbes?"

She laughs, her confidence unwavering. "Of course not, Elena. You’ll make a fantastic second place."

I’m about to playfully flip her off when her eyes suddenly lock onto someone behind me, her posture straightening like she’s about to be graded on her charm. "Hi, Mrs. Donovan!"

Turning around, I spot a middle-aged woman with bouncy auburn hair, dark makeup that might be a bit much for her age but still works, and an expression that radiates mischief. Her eyes barely flick over Caroline before landing on me.

"Elena, honey!" She pulls me into a hug before I can react.

I awkwardly return it, desperately trying to remember her name. Katie? Karen? K—

"Kelly!" I exclaim, relieved as it finally clicks. "How are you?"

"Same old," she says with a dramatic sigh before pouting. "Oh, Matty tells me you broke his heart."

"Mom?!" Matt cuts in, horrified.

Kelly waves him off. "Relax, I’m kidding. Sort of." Then, with a smirk, she turns back to me. "He found his rebound girl." She tilts her head toward Caroline, who looks seconds away from choking on air.

Without missing a beat, Kelly pulls out a wad of cash and hands it to Caroline. "Here, sweetheart. However many tickets this gets me."

Caroline flips through the bills while muttering under her breath. "How will you afford all your booze now?"

Kelly sighs, glancing toward the stage. "Just hope I don’t get Bachelor Number Three. I dated him in high school—not impressive. In any way." She laughs at her own joke, and I let out an awkward chuckle while Matt looks like he’s praying for the ground to swallow him.

As Kelly says something—probably another dig at Caroline—I spot Alaric standing a few feet away. The second our eyes meet, he turns and walks off.

Rude.

I turn back to Caroline. "Hey, can I get some tickets too?"

She eyes me suspiciously. "Ew, Elena. Which 50-year-old are you trying to go out with?"

Matt frowns. "Wait, aren’t you and Stefan a thing?"

I pull out a twenty and slide it toward Caroline. "First off, I’m not bidding on Mystic Falls’ most eligible and pathetic."

Caroline squints at me, still skeptical, as she hands me a handful of tickets.

I turn to Matt. "Second, no, Stefan and I aren’t together."

"Yet," Caroline chimes in.

I laugh, shaking my head. "We’ll see. In the meantime, I need to find Jenna. Good luck surviving the night."

After saying my goodbyes, I weave through the crowd, searching for Jenna—until something else catches my attention. Near the entrance, Damon is in a hushed conversation with Sheriff Forbes, and in her hands is a folder that practically screams "classified and shady as hell."

I pause by a nearby table, casually eavesdropping until Sheriff Forbes finally walks away. Unfortunately I don’t make out more than ’speeding tickets’. Shit are they talking about me? Because I still haven't figured out how miles work.

Before I can even make a move toward him, Damon’s eyes lock onto mine, and he saunters over with that smug, drunken smirk. He leans his elbows on the table between us, the folder swinging in his hand.

His gaze follows mine. "See something you like, Gilbert?"

I point at the folder. "Depends. What’s in there?"

Damon grins, pulling it just out of reach. "Wouldn’t you like to know?"

I cross my arms. "I would, actually."

He leans in closer, eyes glinting with amusement. "Tell you what—if you win a date with me, I’ll tell you all about my dirty little secrets."
The smell of alcohol on his breath is enough to make me regret engaging in this conversation. I mirror his movement, leaning in as well.

"I’d rather shoot myself, but thanks." I flash him a sarcastic smile. I’ll just ask Stefan later, no big evil plans were cooking up at this moment as far as I remember.

‘’Why are you participating in this anyway? They say you shouldn’t date for at least two months after a serious break up.’’ I grin.

He shrugs, his smirk remaining steady on his face, "Who says I’m dating anyone? Maybe I just like the thrill of being wanted."

I roll my eyes. "So, you enjoy the attention of women old enough to be your mother? Got it."

He grins. "Technically, I’m old enough to be their great-great-grandpa."

Before I can even process that mental image, he suddenly reaches out, snatching a ticket from my front pocket.

"Hey—" I make a grab for it, but of course, vampire speed wins.

Damon twirls the ticket between his fingers, smug as ever. "Looks like you wanted to win a date with me after all. No need to be shy."

I sigh. "It’s not for me, Damon."

He chuckles, tucking the ticket into his jacket pocket. "Relax, I’m flattered. And don’t worry—if you don’t win, I can always arrange a private date. Just the two of us." He winks. "No auction necessary."

"Yeah, goodbye, Damon." I groan, turning on my heel. Whatever scheme he’s brewing isn’t worth the headache.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

"Number four, Alaric Saltzman. Wow, that's quite a mouthful," Mrs. Lockwood announces, finally moving past the usual lineup of single Mystic Falls men everyone has known for decades.

It’s obvious most of the women here bought tickets for one of two people: Alaric or Damon. Speaking of, Damon—still looking somewhat tipsy—stands next to the history teacher, smirking at the attention.

I glance at Jenna beside me. She’s practically starry-eyed, looking at Alaric like a lovesick teenager.

"You don’t mind that your boyfriend has half the room drooling over him?" I ask, raising a brow.

Jenna tears her gaze away long enough to scoff. "It’s for charity, Elena. It’s not like that."

I smirk and gesture across the room. "Tell that to Kelly Donovan."

Jenna follows my finger and grimaces as Kelly makes what can only be described as ‘sex eyes’ at the stage. Suddenly, her confidence wavers.

I pull the remaining tickets from my pocket—aside from the one Damon swiped—and shove them across the table to her.

Jenna eyes me suspiciously but smiles. "You bought these for me?"

"Yeah. You deserve better than that shithead Logan. And honestly, what’s more romantic than winning a man in a charity lottery?"

She laughs, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Thanks, Elena. But I took some precautions of my own." A smug smirk spreads across her face as she pulls open her jacket, revealing pockets stuffed with lottery tickets.

A laugh escapes me, ‘’Jenna, you look like a drug dealer.’’

She nudges me playfully before we turn back to the stage.

"And last but not least, Damon Salvatore," Mrs. Lockwood announces, circling Damon like a lion sizing up its next meal.

His eyes find mine, and his smirk deepens when he sees the mountain of tickets sitting in front of me and Jenna. I hold his gaze, slowly lifting my hand. With exaggerated care, I curl my fingers into a fist… and flip him off.

Mrs. Lockwood, oblivious, presses on. "We don’t have much on you."

Damon chuckles. "Well, I’m tough to fit on a card." His flirty gaze sweeps over the crowd of eager women. I check Jenna out of the corner of my eye—thankfully, she’s not one of them.

"Any hobbies? Do you like to travel?" Mrs. Lockwood asks, holding the mic toward him.

Damon glances at Alaric, and a devilish grin spreads across his face.

"Oh yeah. L.A., New York… A couple years ago, I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus, actually." He turns fully to Alaric. "I think you went to school there, didn’t you, Rick?"

Alaric’s face darkens.

Damon continues, voice dripping with mock innocence. "Yeah, because I know your wife did. Had a drink with her once. She was a great girl. Did I ever tell you that?" His smirk sharpens. "She was delicious."

The air in the room shifts. Alaric tenses. Jenna's face pales. Stefan—who I just noticed in the crowd—stares at me, waiting for my reaction.

I slap a hand to my forehead. How the hell did I forget this disaster?

I quickly excuse myself to Jenna, and make my way over to him. We meet near the entrance of the grill, away from the crowd.

Stefan has his arms crossed and a vexed expression on his face, he seems to be a little at loss for words. His eyes keep glancing between Damon, still being an ass on stage, and me.

‘’Well, I think Damon remembered Alaric's wife.’’ I scoff, also looking back at Alaric's defeated expression.

Stefan shakes his head, ‘’I’m so sorry Elena, I went to talk to Alaric again this afternoon. I had a feeling, but I wanted to know more before I told you.’’

I nod, ‘’It’s fine Stefan, I’m more worried about Damon pissing off the guy who already wants both of your heads on a stick.’’

Stefan rubs his forehead, ‘’Damon is still coping, badly. I didn’t want to confront him, I thought he might…’’

‘’Act out? Yeah well, too late.’’ I scoff, shaking my head.

His forehead creases as a saddened expression takes hold. This really isn’t helping his guilt about Damon’s actions.

I rest a hand on his arm. "This isn’t your fault. Damon was gonna pull something no matter what. At least this is better than a murder spree, right?" I offer a small, teasing smile.

Stefan huffs a quiet laugh, but before he can respond, a familiar cocky voice interrupts.

"So, did you win a date with Mystic Falls’ most eligible bachelor?"

Damon staggers toward us, bracing himself against a wooden beam with that ever-present smirk.

I resist the urge to facepalm again. "Why do you always have to pull this dumb crap?"

"Elena—" Stefan warns, shaking his head. His interruption makes me think he doesn’t like it when I challenge mentally unstable vampires.

I hold up a hand, knowing that even though Damon isn’t really 100% there mentally right now. He’s not going to chop my head off in this crowd. Hopefully.

Damon tilts his head. "Am I missing something here?"

"Did you really need to rub it in Alaric’s face? You know, the guy who may or may not be immortal and who definitely wants to kill you?"

Damon rolls his eyes, smirk unfazed. "Elena, Elena. No need to worry. I’ve got everything under control. It’s sweet that you care, though."

I exhale sharply. "How is actively provoking a man who wants to murder you ‘having it under control’?"

Damon just grins. "Why do you care so much about Alaric anyway? Don’t tell me you actually bought those tickets for him. Didn’t know you had a thing for older guys, Elena." He teases, still not understanding how stupid he’s being.

Well if the logical route doesn’t work, why did I even think that would work with Damon to begin with, maybe the emotional route does.

‘’You remember when I told you I was adopted?’’ I ask, my arms crossed.

Damon nods, still looking infuriatingly entertained.

"Yeah, well, I never told you my birth mother’s name." I narrow my eyes. "It was Isobel."

Again, I don’t give a shit about Isobel Flemming. But they don’t know that.

His smirk vanishes.

Shock flickers across his face. "Elena—" He reaches out, but I step back.

"Save the trouble of a fake apology. We both know you don’t mean it," I snap. "But maybe try saying something to Alaric before he shoots you again."I give a tight, sarcastic smile

Damon stares at me, for once at a loss for words.

I pat his shoulder. "Thanks."

Then I turn and head back toward Jenna, Stefan quickly falling into step beside me, after sparing Damon one last look. Who I suspect is about to go back to nursing a bottle, hopefully out of the vicinity of Alaric Saltzman.

I turn to Stefan, trying to get some more detail on Alaric’s views on us. In the show he didn’t have any hate toward Stefan, so maybe if he worked some nice vegan vampire magic on him, it might’ve worked.

‘’So what else did you and Alaric talk about?’’

Before he can answer, someone slams into my side.

I stumble against Stefan with a sharp grunt.

I look up to see a tall man with dark hair and an unfortunate goatee. Who just shoulder checked me so hard, I almost felt something pop.

His dark eyes linger me for a while, but instead of apologizing he just keeps creepily staring at me. So intense it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He tears his beady eyes from me for a moment and acknowledges Stefan standing next to me.

‘’Sorry.’’ he curtly says, before quickly making his exit.

‘’Are you alright?’’ Stefan’s brows furrow, and he looks in the direction the man disappeared. “That was weird.”

My gaze follows his, but the man seems to have blended into the crowd.

I shake off the lingering unease. "Just another asshole who thinks shoulder-checking women is a personality trait. And only cares to apologise if a man is near."

Stefan smirks. "If he does it again, I’ll shove him twice as hard. Promise."

I chuckle, nudging him lightly. "I’ll hold you to that."

Chapter Text

“Well, I can’t say it doesn’t give me a tiny bit of joy knowing Pearl kicked Damon’s ass.” I grin, popping open my locker and shoving in the now utterly useless chemistry books.

Stefan chuckles, leaning on the locker beside mine. “After what happened last night? You’ve earned the right to enjoy it.”

Last night, the terrible pimping out of Mystic Falls most desperate. Which was overshadowed by the disgusting remarks from Damon about Alaric’s undead wife. Since said undead wife is also Elena’s undead mother, I should be hurt by it. But I’m more worried about being hurt by the next vervain-laced bullet Alaric has planned for the Salvatore brothers.

I pull out the heaviest textbook—the one for our vampire hunter-turned-history teacher’s class. “So... why were Anna and Pearl at your place again?”

‘’Pearl wanted to know more about the counsel, who’s on vervain, what do they know? And to propose a vampire truce between us.’’ Stefan explains.

I raise a brow as I slam my locker closed, ‘’I imagine Damon just loved the idea of a vampire truce.’’

He sighs, shaking his head. “Yeah, it went exactly how you'd expect. Though... Pearl did offer to help him find Katherine.”

A surprised look falls over my face, “So... he took the deal?”

“Nope. He insulted them, and Pearl tried to gouge out his eyes.” Stefan actually looks a little surprised by his own words.

I wince. “Yikes. That’s... disturbingly graphic. But weird he didn’t take the offer. Has he finally given up on Katherine?”

Stefan crosses his arms, exhaling. “He waited 145 years just to find out she couldn’t care less. That’s gotta hurt.” His voice carries way more empathy about his brother than it did a few weeks ago. Improvement on the brother bond aspect is a good thing I suppose.

‘’I’d have some sympathy if he wasn’t a psychotic, narcissistic, annoying asshole.’’ I shrug, a smirk finding its way onto my face.

I pause, narrowing my eyes. “Wait—Damon told you about this little Pearl beatdown?”

Can’t picture him voluntarily reliving a moment where he got humbled so badly he had to wear sunglasses indoors.

Stefan rubs the back of his neck, grinning. “I might’ve overheard from my room.”

I snort. “Eavesdropped, you mean. Congrats, you’re finally becoming the annoying little brother you were meant to be.”

A high-pitched voice cuts through the hallway, interrupting us.

“Elena! Stefan!”

We both turn. Caroline’s signature bouncy blonde curls are practically glowing with urgency.

I lean back against my locker. “Hey Care, what’s up?”

She groans, her usual sunshine vibe clouding over. “Kelly Donovan is trying to make my life a living hell.”

Stefan’s brows crease, not aware of the not-so-new addition to Mystic Falls. I turn to meet his gaze, ‘’Matt’s mom, left for a while because she ran off with her boyfriend. And does not approve of Caroline as Matt’s girlfriend.’’

He nods, understanding. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with that, Caroline.”

Caroline nods furiously, clearly agreeing. “Thank you! I’m so polite to her, and somehow, she hates me more for it. Honestly, sometimes I think I should just compel her to like me.” Her voice drops conspiratorially as her eyes flit to the side, plotting.

I chuckle, it wouldn’t even be that bad. Kelly Donovan is genuinely a fucking bitch, not as much as Katherine or Isobel. But abandoning your children and making them fend for themselves for months on end, only to reappear when your boyfriend broke up with you, is being a fucking bitch.

“But you’re a good person, Caroline,” Stefan says gently, like he’s trying to stop a cat from knocking a glass off the counter. “You wouldn’t take away someone’s free will like that.”

Caroline pouts, then sighs. “Yeah, yeah. It’s exhausting being the better person.”

Before either of us can respond, her face lights up. “Oh! I just had the best idea—double date! You and Stefan, me and Matt!”

I blink. “And... how exactly does that fix the Kelly problem?”

“It doesn’t,” she admits. “But it’ll help me feel better. So you’re in, right? We could grab dinner at the Grill, maybe see a movie?” She’s already halfway down the planning rabbit hole.

Honestly, I don’t mind. I like hanging out with them. And things with Matt aren’t awkward anymore—at least I think they’re not. But I do know this date didn’t go well last time. Especially for Caroline and Matt. The whole date was practically a test to see if Matt still had feelings for Elena, although I don’t know if it’s the same this time around.

But Damon hooking up with Kelly Donovan in front of her kid is probably not changing, and I’d rather not have that mental image edged into my brain.

I open my mouth to politely decline, and perhaps suggest another time for the date. But Stefan cuts me off.

“That sounds great. We’d love to.” He smiles.

Caroline claps her hands together. “Yay! I’ll text you details. See you tonight!” And as fast as she appeared, she makes her exit.

I turn to face Stefan, ‘’We do?’’ I flatly question.

He shrugs, still smiling. “You’ve been dealing with non-stop vampire drama. You deserve a normal, human night.”

“A normal, human night... with two vampires,” I mutter, just low enough to avoid concern from nearby students.

He leans in, whispering to match my tone. “We’re great at pretending. Just don’t order garlic bread.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Alright, Mr. Normal Human. Let’s go to history with our not-a-vampire-hunter teacher.”

As we walk to class, I make a mental note: stop Damon and Kelly from hooking up.

You’re welcome, Matt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I glide the gloss over my lips, checking my mascara for the third time before finally deciding I look good enough for a double date—but not so good that Caroline would accuse me of trying to seduce Matt.

My phone lights up as I turn it on: a text from Stefan saying he’ll be here in ten. I shut the bathroom door behind me and grab the plum leather jacket draped across my bed. On my way to the stairs, I notice Jeremy’s door slightly open.

Like any responsible fake older sister, I pause and peek inside.
Jeremy’s hunched over his desk, practically nose-to-screen, messages blinking across his monitor at lightning speed. I can’t read what they say, but the intensity has me curious.

“You’re gonna need glasses if you keep that up,” I tease, leaning casually against the doorframe.

He startles, spinning around so fast he nearly sends his chair flying. Only quick footwork saves him from a full-on faceplant.

His face is a mix of annoyance and surprise, like he’s about to accuse me of being a nosy sister—which, let’s be honest, would mean I’m doing my job as Elena pretty well. But then... something shifts. His expression softens into something more uncertain.

His gaze flicks between me and his screen. Then, finally: “Can I ask you something?”

I push off the doorframe and step into his room. “Sure. Uh—” I eye him a little closer. He’s clearly on edge, and when I glance at his screen again, I notice the tab he’d been glued to is now closed. “Wait—is this a sex thing? Because if it is, I can try to help. Though, honestly, Stefan probably knows more—” I mumble, but how much can an immortal teenager relate to the awkwardness of being a living fifteen year old?

“No!” He holds up a hand to shut me up, cheeks reddening in horror. “It’s not that.”

He sighs, then swivels back to his computer and reopens the tab. I step up beside him and lean on the desk, watching as messages continue to roll in.

It’s a strange chatroom. Users like BloodyBecky and Fang69 flood the feed, talking in oddly cryptic, vampire-themed slang. I clock the username VampJer and turn toward him, suppressing a grin.

“VampJer? Did you want help coming up with a less embarrassing screen name?”

He sighs again. “No.” He taps a message he sent that reads: Are vampires real? Do you know?

His eyes lift to meet mine—earnest, searching. All the usual sarcasm and teenage defensiveness gone.

Ah. So we’re here already.

I’d hoped Anna would handle this part—the vampire reveal. Now that Jeremy knows something, I can’t exactly pretend I don’t. But I also don’t have time for a full-scale supernatural heart-to-heart five minutes before Stefan shows up.

Still, I don’t want to lie to him. Not when vampires are actively making this town their playground.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” I say carefully, shrugging. I don’t want to dismiss his fears, but I also can’t start unraveling the truth just yet.

“What would you do,” he asks, voice low and serious, “if you thought someone you knew was a vampire?”

His eyes plead for something—guidance, maybe. Or just confirmation that he isn’t crazy.

‘’I’d hope they’d be the hot kind that shimmered in the sun and not an ugly one like Nosferatu.’’ I tease. He’ll get his answers, but brooding one more night over it won’t damage anything.

He exhales through his nose and drops his gaze, a quiet disappointment settling over him. Not quite hurt. Just... tired. I think he gets it—that most people wouldn’t even entertain this line of questioning. But he still wanted me to.

“Thanks for the advice,” he mutters, a half-hearted chuckle slipping out as he turns back to his screen.

“Oh, what would you do without me,” I sigh with a smile, stepping out of his room.

As I head downstairs, I make another mental note to text Anna: she and Jeremy need to have the talk—and soon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Okay, so punctuality has never been my strong suit—but when you have vampire speed, being fifteen minutes late to pick up your date feels like a personal attack.

I glance out the window for what has to be the fiftieth time. The street outside is still empty, still quiet, still aggressively suburban.

With a sigh, I pull out my phone and go to call him again—only to be met by that ringtone. The one I’ve had actual nightmares about. I hit accept before it can torture me further.

“Bitch, where are you?” Caroline’s voice blasts through the speaker, annoyed and loud enough, I'm sure Jeremy heard it. “Matt and I have been waiting forever, and the waitresses are giving me death stares for taking up a four-top with only two people.”

I sigh, already rubbing my forehead. “Stefan’s late. I’ve tried calling him, but he’s not picking up.” I keep my eyes glued to the street, waiting for a sudden blur to signal that he’s finally remembered the concept of time.

Caroline groans. “Ugh, is he that old? Did he forget cell phones need to be charged?”

“I really hope that’s the reason,” I mutter, grabbing my keys. “I’ll just drive to the boarding house and drag his 163-year-old ass out myself. I’ll call you when we’re on the way. Please don’t eat the waitresses in the meantime.”

She snorts. “No promises. See you soon.”

The line goes dead before I can say anything else.

She’s probably joking about the waitresses. Still, I drive a little faster—just in case.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

As I approach the door, a dozen worst-case scenarios sprint through my head.

Damon could be having another one of his mid-century meltdowns. Stefan might’ve needed a few more rabbits to get through the night. Maybe the Council found out about the vampire population. Pearl could’ve dropped by uninvited again. Or—God forbid—Katherine came back early.

Please don’t let it be the last one. I’ll take Damon’s existential crisis or Stefan going full Bunny Buffet over that.

I lift my hand to knock, but before I make contact, the door creaks open under the slightest pressure.

Weird.

Not that vampires really need to lock their doors—any random burglar would just end up as a snack. Still, it sends a little chill down my spine.

I push the door open farther and step inside.

A Damon meltdown is still on the table, judging by the chaos: rugs bunched up like they were danced on , shattered cabinets littering the floor with broken glass. When I look up, I do seem to miss any underwear hanging from the chandelier.

“Stefan?” I call out, voice echoing back at me like this is the setup to a very bad horror movie.

I head toward the living room, and within a second, I can rule out both the bunny-hunting and the Damon-tantrum theories. Damon might get destructive, but this? The walls, the couch, even the windows—everything is streaked with blood. Not just splattered—soaked.

Whoever was here wasn’t just mad. They were vicious.

Glass crunches under my boots as I cross the room. The framed photos from the fireplace are scattered on the ground. The back windows are blown out, and something’s sticking out from behind the flipped-over sofa.

When I slowly peek behind it and find a pair of grey, now smeared red, sneakers sticking out. A sense of fear strikes me, before realising those are definitely a woman’s pair of shoes.

As I fully walk around the sofa, the scene in front of me makes me cringe. A woman lies on the floor, her back facing me. Her dark curly hair is all messed up, parts sticking out of the half-up half-down hairstyle it was previously in. The skin that sticks out from her pants has turned sickly gray, the only color on them are the blue veins almost breaking out of her skin.

It isn’t hard to see what killed her, seeing as a massive piece of wood is sticking out from her torso.

Her appearance isn’t matching any vampires I know, so I don’t find it worth it to turn her body around. I’m happy it isn’t Stefan, and maybe Damon, lying dead on the ground. But that sparks the question, where the fuck are they?

It looks like they definitely fought someone here, and whoever is in front of me lost. I pull out my phone, if Stefan was in this fight, maybe Damon can help me out. I turn away from the dead body and dial his number.

It rings for a while before he finally picks up, ‘’Damon, do you know what happened to Stefan? I just came over and your house looks like it just hosted the Hunger Games.’’ I quickly spew out, giving another look over the sad state the boarding house is in.

‘’Sorry sweetheart, he isn’t available right now.’’ The harsh low voice that emanates from my phone, definitely isn’t Damon.

‘’Who I—’’ Before I can finish the line is cut off. I stare in front of me for a while, the phone still remaining near my ear.

"Fuuuuuuck." I groan, throwing my head back.

Chapter Text

“So where exactly are they again?” Caroline asks, eyes flicking from mine to Bonnie’s.

“Somewhere around here—” Bonnie says, tapping a spot on the map sprawled across my kitchen table. Something every good witch should have at the ready for a locator spell, at least that’s what Bonnie’s grandma says. “This chunk of woods,” she finishes.

Caroline crosses her arms and leans back on the cabinets, “Yeah, great. Just four football fields’ worth of forest. Super specific.”

Bonnie throws her hands up.“You know I’m still learning! If Grams weren’t out of town, I’d ask her. Besides, with vampire speed, searching it won’t take that long.” She gives Caroline a look.

“Right, because if I just happen to stumble across the vampire kidnappers, they’ll totally just let me go,” Caroline snaps, rolling her eyes.

Bonnie mutters under her breath, “Who says they’d even want you?”

But Caroline’s vampire hearing picks it up loud and clear. “Excuse me, what?!” she whips her head toward Bonnie.

I raise both hands, stepping in. “Okay, maybe let’s focus on the mission—saving Stefan and Damon from the creepy vampire stalkers?”

Caroline quirks a smirk. “Are we sure we want to save Damon?”

Bonnie perks up, deadpan. “I second that.”

And just like that, shared Damon-hate rekindles the spark of our friendship.

I let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not exactly Damon’s biggest fan either. But he has saved my life… annoyingly often. That said, if you two aren’t in, I won’t ask you to be.”

Seeing as Caroline got fucking abused and murdered by him and Bonnie was possessed by her creepy ancestor because of Damon’s plan. I’ve got no right asking them to stick their neck out to help him.

Caroline takes a step over to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Lena, if one of us is in, we’re all in. Plus, I wouldn’t mind seeing Damon suffer a little. Call it closure.”

When I meet Bonnie’s gaze, she nods in agreement. I give them both a strong smile, then focus my attention back on the map in front of us.

“We still don’t know how many vampires we’re dealing with, Caroline is right, we can’t take them on alone.“ My eyes narrow as I sink into thought.

“We’re probably dealing with the tomb vampires, seeing as they both have motive and opportunity“

“They’d want Stefan and Damon dead, since their dad helped lock them up. And they had an opportunity to escape during the opening of the tomb.“ Bonnie chimes in, also laser focussed on the paper in front of us.

“But we don’t know how many escaped, since you and Stefan toasted the rest of them. Leaving us with possibly 25 crazy vampires to defeat.“ Caroline moans.

“24, assuming the dead vampire in the boarding house was from the tomb.“ I correct. I have to admit that I barely know anything about the tomb vampire’s appearances, save for Pearl and Harper (r.i.p.).

Bonnie looks up, “Did you call Anna? She might know if there are others still out there.”

I shake my head, ‘’I tried, Anna and Pearl are staying in a cabin just outside of Mystic Falls. For all they know, Pearl was the only vampire that escaped.’’

Calling Anna about her relationship issues and the horrible reveal that the evil tomb vampires have made an appearance, wasn’t a great conversation. At least I don’t have to worry about Jer now, Anna promised to give him ‘’the talk’’ tomorrow.

Caroline cocks her head, the curls bouncing from her shoulder. ‘’ And you believe her? What if she has them locked up in her basement, playing some sick vampire version of 50 shades of gray on them?’’

Me and Bonnie share a look about Caroline’s interesting thought process before I answer, ‘’..Well, I suppose I have some understanding with Anna. She owes me one after all, and she wouldn’t risk her and her mothers safety over some old revenge.’’

Unfortunately that also means that she wasn’t in on the rescue plan, not stirring up any vampire drama would be in the best interest of their safety.

Bonnie nods in response, ‘’Agreed, but that does leave us three against possibly two dozen very old vampires.’’ She sighs in defeat, ‘’I really want to help you Elena, but this does seem like a suicide mission.’’

I look over to Caroline who meets my gaze with the same defeated look Bonnie is wearing. They’re right of course, Caroline and Bonnie are strong, but all the vampires we’re up against are either the same age or older than Stefan and Damon. Even if it were only a handful of them instead of the full 24, we might not pull it off.

‘’Well, let’s not give up right away. First we should figure out how many vampires we’re dealing with. For who knows it might be two or three, no need to jump to doom scenarios.’’ I nod. Also I’d hope I would notice more than twenty corpses staggering out of the tomb, even if I was being shot at.

I was being shot at, by Alaric Saltzman, who helped save Stefan from the tomb vampires the first time around. Huh..

I turn to Caroline, ‘’Would you mind scouting out the area Bonnie pointed out?’’ I question, leaning over the table toward her.

Caroline raises a brow and cringes a bit, but instead of a hard ‘hell no’. She takes a beat staring at me and then lets out a sigh. ‘’Fine, but I want to borrow your vervain pepper spray. And if they even look in my direction, I’m hightailing it out of there.’’

A bright smile finds its way on my face, ‘’Thank you Caroline, and of course.’’ I quickly nod.

‘’But what are we going to if there are more than we can handle?’’ Bonnie adds, still with a nervous look on her face.

A small grin replaces my smile, ‘’I think I might know someone who can help.’’

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

“No.”
Alaric shoots me a flat, irritated look as he straightens up behind his desk.

“What do you mean, no?” I cross my arms and lean back against the table behind me, eyebrows raised.

He groans and rubs his temples like this entire conversation is already giving him a migraine.
“I mean no, Elena. I’m not helping you rescue the vampire who killed my wife.”

I roll my eyes. Ironic, really, considering the murderous vampire in question is destined to be his future best, and probably only, friend.

“Stefan didn’t kill your wife.” I shoot back, like that should obviously change everything.

Alaric pauses. His brow furrows, gaze softening a fraction as he takes in my expression.
“I’m sorry, Elena. I can see you care about him. But I want nothing to do with the Salvatores. Frankly, I think Damon getting kidnapped is the universe finally doing its job.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he raises a hand, cutting me off.

“And you shouldn’t try to rescue them either. Based on what you’ve told me, you'd just end up getting yourself killed.” His voice shifts—less anger now, more... fatherly concern.

“That’s why we need you. You’re an experienced vampire hunter. We’re only up against four vampires—if you help, it’s four against four.” My voice remains optimistic despite the disapprovement forming on Alaric’s face.

After Caroline came back from scouting and excitedly reported that there were only four tomb vampires, I’d felt that flicker of hope return. Her mention of one having a tragic goatee even jogged my memory about a certain vampire from the tomb.

Alaric shakes his head.“Elena, you’re a human with no combat training—”

“I pepper sprayed one once,” I mutter, already regretting it.

He ignores me and pushes on.“You’ve got a vampire and a witch helping you—fine. But even with them, these tomb vampires already managed to take down Stefan and Damon. That’s not a fight you want. Trust me.”

He’s not wrong. But thankfully he also doesn’t know who my backup is. And I’m not about to tell him he’s being recruited into a teenage supernatural girl gang.

Still, his rejection doesn’t rattle me. Because if asking nicely fails... there’s always leverage.

I cross my arms and fix him with a look. He seems unimpressed by my lingering confidence. “I can help you find Isobel.” This time, my voice drops the sunny teenage tone.

That gets his attention.

His eyes sharpen, his whole body leaning forward. “What do you mean, find her? She’s dead.” He says it like he’s been rehearsing the line for years—but it doesn’t sound like he fully believes it.

‘’Damon didn’t kill her, he turned her.’’ I explain, watching Alaric gain an expression I can only describe as relieved and disturbed.

‘’H-he turn—.. She’s a vampire? Why..’’ He whispers to himself, coming to the same realization that Damon did not so long ago. She didn’t care about him, she wasn’t missing, she just didn’t want to be found.

Instead of sharing all of his questions and his newly found midlife crisis with me, he recovers himself and looks back up at me. ‘’How do you know?’’

He doesn’t ask with suspicion, I suppose somewhere deep down he might’ve had a feeling. Too much talk about vampires, perhaps she expressed wanting to be one at some point. Enough to make my suggestion plausible.

I sigh, ‘’Well, she’s my birth mother.’’ I pause for a moment while seeing the added shock on Alaric’s face, it seems like he wants to react but opts for letting me continue. His eyes do move over my face for a moment, perhaps trying to get a glimpse of his wife. But alas, doppelganger genes won this battle.

‘’I’ve never looked into her much, she was about my age when she had me. But when I heard what Damon did, I started digging. I haven’t contacted her because I had no need for that extra drama in my life, but I like to keep my options open. So I have some people that can lead me to her.’’ As I finish my story I think of Trudy, who I can better leave out of this. Opting to lead him to John instead, who I believe was in contact with her now or will be soon.

He sighs, taking in all the information. ‘’And I assume you’ll only tell me if I help you rescue the Salvatores?’’

A sly grin tugs on my lips, ‘’Welcome to the team Mr. Saltzman, or should i say step dad?’’ I wiggle my eyebrows.

‘’Please don’t’’ He cringes

Chapter Text

‘’Elena, stop playing with that thing, you’re going to poke your own eye out!’’ Alaric snarls to me from the driver's seat.

I quickly lay the vervain dart down on my lap and turn to look out of the window instead of Alaric's annoyed expression. ‘’Well I’ll probably need to use it soon.’’ I mumble.

He sighs, ‘’No, the dart is a last defense I hope you won’t need to use. Do we need to go over the plan again?’’ He somewhat judgingly asks, like I’ve already forgotten it.

‘’Obviously I remember it, but Caroline might’ve forgotten. Best to explain it one more time.’’ I nod, ignoring the kick of my chair by Caroline behind me.

I see Alaric give me a look through the rearview mirror, ‘’First I’ll knock on the door and pretend to be lost, since they’re probably having trouble sourcing blood, they’ll let me in. And thanks to Caroline we’ve established that there are no living people in the house, so while I distract them she can sneak into the back. Then you and Bonnie, hopefully without encountering any vampires, free Stefan and Damon.’’

‘’And if we encounter any, I’ve been working on some offensive spells against vampires.’’ Bonnie chimes in.

I humm in agreement, ‘’And If they get past you, that's when i use the vervain dart.’’

Unfortunately I’m met by three disapproving stares, ‘’Well just fuck me and my vervain dart then.’’ I mumble, crossing my arms.

As the car finally stops rattling from the rough dirt road we took, I tear my gaze away from the forest on my right and glance over at Alaric.

He gives all of us a once-over, his expression growing even more serious. "Okay, you all know what you're supposed to do."
For some reason, his gaze lingers a little longer on me than on the rest of our teenage girl vampire rescue squad.

We all nod and pile out of the car. Alaric moves ahead first.
The forest around us is cloaked in a low mist, but even through the haze, I can make out a massive, suspiciously creepy cabin in the distance.
Because of course, it’s never not creepy.

Bonnie and I wish Caroline good luck as she speeds off toward the back entrance.

"Are you taking anything?" I ask Bonnie as I pop open the trunk and grab another regular wooden stake from Alaric’s arsenal, tucking it into my belt.

Her eyes sweep over the selection: wooden stakes, vervain darts, guns loaded with vervain bullets, and bottles of pure vervain.
Alaric Saltzman: part-time history teacher, full-time vampire slayer.

Bonnie shakes her head and pats her jacket pocket.
"One dart should be enough, I hope. Too much will slow me down. I need my hands free for spells anyway."

I slam the trunk shut, agreeing silently. Too many weapons would just weigh us down.
We’re supposed to be the extraction team: get in, grab the Salvatores, and get the hell out. Simple.

When I turn back to Bonnie, she's staring daggers at her phone, nervously chewing on her nails.
I step closer and place a hand on her shoulder. She jumps slightly at the contact but relaxes once she meets my eyes.

"You know staring at your phone won’t make Caroline’s text come any faster," I say, offering a small smile.

Bonnie lets out a shaky sigh. "I know, I know. It’s just... what if something goes wrong? What if there are more vampires than we thought and we—"
She breaks off, throwing her hands up in frustration.

I grip both her shoulders, giving them a small, steadying squeeze. "Bonnie, I can’t promise everything’s going to be okay, because I don’t know—"

At those words, the despair on her face deepens. I give her shoulders a slight shake and push forward.

"—Hey, let me finish. You know I suck at pep talks. What I’m trying to say is: we’re fucking awesome, and we’re going to beat the crap out of these vampires. If Plan A doesn’t work, we’ll make up Plan B on the spot. You’re a badass witch, Alaric’s a professional vampire hunter, and I’m pretty sure Caroline is one of those freakishly strong new vampires."

By the end of my very inspiring speech (if I do say so myself), Bonnie finally cracks a small smile.

And right on cue, both our phones buzz at the same time.
Without another word, we move together, heading in the same direction Alaric disappeared into not long ago.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

The large cabin ahead of us has a small raised porch connected to it. As we approach, I notice the front door hanging slightly ajar — saving us from the extra attention a creaky door might've drawn.
I take the lead, Bonnie hot on my heels, as we slip into the hallway.

In the show, Stefan was kept locked in a basement. Unfortunately, this cabin doesn’t seem to have one. So, we’re left with no choice but to open every door and pray we don’t find a bloodthirsty vampire behind one.

We skip the first larger door on the right — someone in there seems way too busy breaking furniture to notice us anyway.

Stopping in front of the first seemingly quiet door, I glance over my shoulder at Bonnie.
She gives me an encouraging nod, but the fear on her face is painfully obvious.

My hand closes around the simple steel doorknob, heartbeat thundering in my throat.
In my other hand, I clutch the vervain dart so tightly I’m surprised it hasn’t shattered.

The door creaks open a crack as I turn the knob. I feel Bonnie’s breath on the back of my neck as she edges closer. My breathing quickens as I push the door open a little further.
I step inside, dart raised, ready to plunge it into the chest of any vampire dumb enough to stand in my way.

Instead, I trip over my own feet.
The room is completely empty — just an old cabinet and some worn-down wicker chairs.

Letting out a shaky breath, I turn around, ready to tackle the next door.

Bonnie can open that one.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

We’ve now cleared four rooms, not counting the first, where the sounds of fighting are still ringing out loud and clear. That leaves us with just one last door in this hallway.

My hand flies toward the handle without thinking, but Bonnie grabs my wrist before I can touch it.
I whirl around, ready to ask her what the hell she’s doing, until she silences me with a finger pressed to her lips.

As she pulls her hand away, I hear it: thumping noises, like someone hitting the floor repeatedly.

Stefan and Damon would definitely be making noise if they were tied up.
Even without vampire hearing, I can tell there are two different sets of sounds, each applying different kinds of pressure to the wood.

Feeling more confident, I move to open the door again.

The second I push it wide, something slams into my torso hard, sending me flying backward into Bonnie and then straight onto the wooden floor.

A cough rattles out of my lungs as I struggle to catch my breath. Next to me, Bonnie groans, my full weight pinning her leg awkwardly.

I blink up, disoriented, and find my vision full of blonde curls.
Before I can even process what’s happening, I’m shoved to the side with an insane amount of force, sliding across the floor.

Lucky, too — because a split second later, the spot I was lying on is crushed by a very heavy sofa.
Its front half punches through the floorboards, and its back half blocks my view of what’s happening beyond.

"Elena, are you alright?" A voice calls from above.

Blinking up, I see Bonnie’s stressed-out face, her hand extended to me.

I grab it and let her pull me up, coughing again. "Yeah, I’m good. Are you? What the fuck just happened?" I rasp, looking wildly around.

Before Bonnie can answer, a body hurdles straight through the smashed-up sofa. I barely jump right while Bonnie leaps left. The figure slams into the wall behind us with a loud crack.

Spinning around, I realize it’s Caroline.
Her ponytail has mostly come undone, messy strands sticking to her blood-smeared forehead. Her black shirt is stained with blood too, though whatever wounds she had seem to have healed already.

I move toward her instinctively, but she holds up a hand while pushing herself to her feet.

"I got this," she grins fiercely, eyes locked on something ahead.
"You two go. This asshole's gonna pay for ruining my new boots."

Honestly? After seeing that look on her face, I’m almost more worried for the tomb vampire than I am for Caroline.

I turn toward the now even more wrecked sofa, just in time to see a figure stepping out from the debris. He’s tall, dirty blonde, and plain-looking — his taupe shirt shredded and bloodstained.

Caroline sighs heavily. "Seriously! Just go! Have a little faith in me, okay?"

Bonnie grabs my arm and tugs me toward the next corridor where the last set of doors waits.
I start moving but freeze when a second figure steps out from the ruined sofa.
A woman this time, dressed in an immaculate white dress, not a hair out of place, no blood, no battle scars.

Caroline’s confident posture falters, just a little. We all realize at the same time: two against one isn’t exactly fair odds.

I reach for my dart, heart pounding, ready to defend us, but Bonnie steps in front of me, pushing me back.

"I’ll stay. You go find them," she says firmly.

I could argue. But we both know she stands a better chance against them than I do.

I nod once, giving her a final, silent encouragement and then slip around the corner, sprinting toward the last door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Speedrunning the rooms seems to work, until I get to the last one,

‘’SHIT!’’ I groan out, another fucking empty room. I slam the stupid door behind me, not caring about the noise I make anymore. I’ve searched this whole goddamn house, and nothing! There isn’t a fucking basement, no second story, assuming I haven’t missed any stairs.

I can still hear the sounds of fighting from the hallway behind me. No screaming from people I care about yet, so... small win, I guess.

Calming down would probably be smart. But honestly? I'm fucking pissed. Bonnie even redid the locator spell before we came here.

‘’They should be fucking HERE!’’ I yell out, kicking the wall in front of me with all the strength I can muster.

creak

I raise a brow and slowly spin around to see a partial ladder hanging at a 90-degree angle from the ceiling. As I scan the roof, I spot a square border where the ladder dropped from, a fucking attic.

Without wasting a second, I grab the ladder, fold it down, and scramble up, pushing open the wooden hatch above me.

A thick layer of dust hits me in the face as I peek my head through. I cough, blinking to adjust to the low light.

"Elena?" two strained voices call out from somewhere at the back of the room.

My heart leaps. I pull myself up into the massive attic, the thing stretching across the entire house.

Ahead of me, two figures are strung up by metal chains looped around a support beam. As I get closer, my chest tightens, it's Stefan and Damon. Their shirts are torn open, dried blood streaked across their torsos. Blisters circle their wrists, vervain burns.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ Stefan croaks out, his eyes have sunken in but he seems to be aware of his surroundings. Which is more than what I can say for Damon, whose wounds seem more severe and looks like shit. I swallow, I’d rather not look at their state too long. Makes me think that somehow I could’ve prevented this, that it’s my fault they look like strung up prey.

I briefly glance over to Damon, who can seem to only look at me past half closed lids. I shoot him a small smile before finding the hook where Stefan’s chains are attached.

‘’Saving you, duh.’’ I grin at Stefan, walking behind him to the hook.

He shakes his head slightly, despite how much it clearly hurts to move. “You shouldn’t have come.”

A small smile tugs on my lips, good to know he’s still the same old Stefan. ‘’Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome.’’

I pull the chain back a bit to give it some slack, ‘’I’m untying the chain, brace yourself.’’ When I see him give a quick nod, I pull the chain loose from the hook. Which takes a pathetic amount of assertion from me.

Before Stefan hits the ground I swiftly make my way over and put his hand around my shoulders. He looks over to me, a small smile playing on his lips, ‘’I’m still glad you came though, thank you Elena.’’

‘’You can thank me when we get the hell out of here.’’ I laugh, slowly walking Stefan over to an old desk to lean on for support.

He hoarsely chuckles while leaning his elbow on the piece of furniture, ‘’Who else is there?’’

As I walk back to the hooks, I offendedly put my heart over my chest. ‘’You don’t think I could pull this off on my own?’’

Stefan raises a brow and gives me a look.

‘’Yeah, Alaric, Caroline and Bonnie are battling your kidnappers downstairs.’’ I mumble, releasing Damon’s chains with the same strategy.

I move to catch Damon as quickly as I did Stefan, but the fact that he’s heavier and unconscious almost makes us both fall to the floor.

When I turn back to Stefan he refrains from making a comment but shoots me a small grin, ‘’How’d you get Alaric to help us? I thought killing Damon and I was on his #1 to do list.’’

‘’He was very inclined to help us when—’’ I start my sentence out with a solid grin, deciding I’m so smart for being able to blackmail Alaric. But did I ever tell Stefan about Isobel being alive? That I know where to find her? I mean I did tell him something about Isobel but why wouldn’t I have told him about her undead status as well?

Shit, lies and untold truths are blending together a little too well in my head.

‘’—Uh, I told him I was going to get you no matter what. So he could either let me get killed by vampires and have that on his conscience or help me.’’ I smile, perhaps a little too brightly for the situation, but something has to conceal my heart skipping a beat.

I eye Stefan, his eyes still harshly staring into mine. He then lets out a sigh as my breath catches in my throat. ‘’Were you really going to do that?’’

‘’I mean, I was going to try obviously.’’ I shrug. Secretly I also had a plan to curl my hair and pretend I was Katherine to intimidate the tomb vampires, but Bonnie talked me out of that one.

Although I don’t feel under suspicion anymore, Stefan still gives me an off look. But the man has just been tortured for a full day, so who can blame him.

"I don't deserve you, Elena," he says suddenly. "You keep putting your life on the line for me. Why?"

My heart stumbles. I stare at the floor, scuffing my shoe against the wood to make the feeling of awkwardness that just washed over me go away.

‘’Why is it so hard for you to believe, you’ve done the same for me, multiple times.’’ I mumble out, he shouldn’t make this such a big deal. I’d do the same for Caroline or Bonnie.

He gives a weak, almost disbelieving laugh. "Yeah... but when I do it, it makes sense. When you do it, it terrifies me."

I look back up, and cross my arms. ‘’Why does it make sense when you do it? Because you don’t die as easily?’’ I say, a bit offended.

He shakes his head, a faint, almost broken smile on his lips. "It makes sense because I love you," Stefan says — so low I barely catch it. "And the idea of you getting hurt because of me... I couldn't survive that."

My lips part, but no words come out, Stefan takes in my look and decides to fill the silence.

‘’It’s alright if you don’t feel the same. Just don’t believe that I think of you as weak. Because you’re one of the strongest people I know.’’ He pushes himself off the desk and moves toward me.

‘’But I need you to understand what I feel, why I do certain things and how I almost die inside every time you get hurt.’’ His warm breath hits my face as he stops just a hair away from me.

Surprisingly, I keep my eyes locked on him. Nervous and perhaps a bit curious about his next move.

His hand pushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear, I almost freeze like a statue the moment I feel his touch connect with my skin. I can barely even hear my own thoughts over my fast beating heart.

"Why?" I croak, barely audible.

Stefan gives me a questioning look, edging me to go on.

‘’Why would you love me?’’ I whisper, my throat closing up. All of a sudden the floor seems more interesting than this very rough conversation.

Why would he love me, I’m nothing like her, or Caroline for that matter. The two girls he actually loved, the two girls who didn’t lie about their whole existence to him.

My skin jolts at the sudden contact of Stefan’s firm hand on my cheek, his finger lifts my jaw to meet his gaze again. "I love you because you're amazing. Because you care so much you’d risk everything for the people you love. You light up every room. You steal my breath every time you’re near."

A small tear pricks at my lashes, rolling down Stefan’s hand. Unlike last time, Stefan stays still, only stroking my cheek with his thumb. Waiting for me to make the first move.

Which would be stupid, because it would only overcomplicate everything.

Which would be stupid, because I’ve lied to him more than anyone else.

Which would be stupid, because I stole the body of the girl he loved more than the world.

His lips do taste awfully sweet when I crash mine into them. I put my arm around his bare neck, the fact that he’s shirtless and looks like he just won a gladiator fight really helps silence any lingering thoughts.

His free hand finds its place on the back of head, pulling me in even closer. My chest hits his warm torso, only making the heat rising to my cheeks even worse.

I may have started this but Stefan continues the kiss hungerly, his tongue brushing against my lips. As I respond he lets out a low moan and moves his hand from cheek to my lower back.

I almost forget where we are, who we are, what has happened and to breathe, but a shrieking voice from behind us pulls me out of the spell.

‘’Oh my God, Elena. We’ve been down fighting creepy old vampires and you’re having a make-out session?’’ Caroline’s eyes are wide in disbelief, as she pulls herself up on the attic floor.

As she stomps toward us, I take a step back from Stefan, putting my hands up in the air. ‘’It isn’t what it looks like.’’ I spurt out, shaking my head. Although it definitely is what it looks like.

‘’What? Were you perhaps giving him mouth to mouth?’’ She points to Damon lying unconsciously behind her. ‘’The only person who needs that, would probably be Damon, not that I’m offering, obviously.’’ She shudders, the thought almost making her look ill.

‘’I’m sorry Caroline, it’s my fault-’’ Stefan, still flushed, chimes in. But to no avail.

Caroline sarcastically snorts, ‘’Yeah, yeah, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you two got over the whole sexual tension thing, but maybe pick a better location next time, okay?’’

We both nod in sync, the cold air cools my warm cheeks. Caroline shoots us an approving nod back. She then walks closer to me and I prepare myself for another round of scolding.

She puts her hand over my ear and whispers lowly, ‘’B.t.w. I want all the details later, and I mean all of them.’’ As she pulls back she gives me a little wink.

Chapter Text

My whole body aches as I move to sit up in bed, not exactly surprising, considering I was thrown against a wall or two last night. My cheeks flush a little at the memory of how that night ended.

Thankfully, Caroline and Bonnie were very forgiving after I told them how it happened. And now have both claimed their maid of honor spot at our future wedding. I did explicitly tell them that we weren’t even officially dating yet. We only sent each other a goodnight text and promised to discuss more tomorrow, meaning today. Which is definitely a conversation I’m looking forward to.

I suppose it wouldn’t be awful to date Stefan, and Katherine really is the only factor I have to worry about. She’s not supposed to show up for a long time, so I’ve got time to plan. I shake my head, trying to leave all these complicated thoughts for the afternoon, when I visit the boarding house again.

Springing out of bed, I’m reminded of another pressing issue. Which would be Jeremy and Anna sitting downstairs, Jeremy who now knows about vampires. Anna called me last night to give me the rundown. Apparently, Jeremy’s watched way too much Twilight and now wants to become a vampire himself. Thankfully, Anna’s smart enough not to entertain that, but she insisted I talk to him too.

So, not only do I get to have one awkward, emotionally-loaded conversation today, I get two.Great start to my day.

I let out a sigh as I make my way downstairs, Jenna is still in her room, which leaves the kitchen table free for discussing all pressing supernatural matters.

As I turn into the kitchen, I see Jeremy and Anna eating breakfast together. Their conversation goes quiet the moment I walk into the room.

“Good morning.” I offer a casual smile as I pour myself some cereal and take a seat across from them.

“Morning,” Jeremy mumbles, focusing very intently on his toast.

“Good morning, Elena.” Anna’s more polite, though she shoots me a look that screams please talk to him already, I’ve done all I can.

I take a bite of cereal, stretch out my neck, and look at my brother. “So, Jer.” He finally glances up at me. “A little bird told me you want to become a vampire.”

My smile is tight, the kind only a disappointed older sister can master.

After uttering those words though, Jeremy almost turns into a ghost instead, since he chokes on his breakfast.

‘’Y-you know about vampires?’’ He coughs out, fastly moving his eyes between me and Anna.

I hum in agreement, ‘’Mom and Dad told me.’’ crossing my arms I lean back on the chair, waiting for the inevitable cross-hearing I’m about to go through.

And it begins.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“They wanted you to wait until you were older.”

“How long have you known?”

“A couple of months.”

“Who else knows?”

“Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, his brother, and Mr. Saltzman.”

“Our history teacher?”

“Yeah… long story.”

“And you’re okay with them? Vampires?”

He glances at Anna as he asks this one. She gives him a soft, reassuring smile.

“If she wasn’t okay with me,” Anna chimes in with a laugh, “I’d have been staked ages ago.”

Jeremy goes quiet for a moment, chewing it all over. Then he sighs. “I’m glad I can finally talk to someone about all this, but I’m still pissed you didn’t tell me sooner. I thought I was losing my mind.”

I wince. “I’m sorry, Jer. I should’ve told you once things started affecting your life. It’s just... the past few days have been rough. Still, that’s no excuse.” And I also didn’t want to have this awkward ass conversation.

He nods, still a little grumpy, but accepting the apology. “We should tell Jenna.”

I raise a brow. Anna shoots him a look that clearly says absolutely not.

Honestly, it’s not the worst idea. I’m kind of sick of Googling ‘believable excuses to skip school for your parents’ anyway. And Jenna does get dragged into all this eventually when Katherine makes her stab herself. I always wanted to loop her in before it got that far.

“How many people are you planning to blab about my secret to?” Anna groans, looking between us.

Jeremy opens his mouth to respond, but the doorbell rings.

Saved by the bell.

“I’ll get it,” I say, standing. Honestly, I don’t mind their first couple’s argument getting cut short.

I pause with my hand on the doorknob. Something feels... off. But the doorbell rings again, yanking me out of my hesitation. “Yeah, yeah, give me a second,” I mutter, pulling the door open.

‘’Elena, long time no see.’’ A slightly taller, middle-aged man greets me.

I rattle my brain for a moment before it clicks, ‘’Uncle John, what are you doing here?’’ I awkwardly smile.

He steps past me, inside the house, and puts his big luggage case down like he owns the place.

“Didn’t your aunt tell you? I’m in town for business. Thought I’d pay a visit.”

Oh, thanks for the heads up, Jenna. Because uncle-daddy John the vampire hunter showing up was definitely on my to-do list today.

I force a smile. “How fun.”

Thankfully, the footsteps coming from behind pull me and John out of our conversation.

‘’Uncle John, what’s up.’’ Jeremy calls out, Anna sheepishly peeking out from behind him.

She should get the fuck out of here before John figures out anything, like hell I’m letting that dumbass kill her and her mother for nothing again.

“Just in town for business. And who’s this young lady?” John asks, eyeing Anna as he holds out his hand. Please, God, don’t let vampire detection be a handshake thing.

Anna takes his hand and smiles sweetly. “I’m Anna, sir. Jeremy’s girlfriend.”

John raises his eyebrows. “Nice to meet you, Anna. I’m Jeremy and Elena’s uncle.”

That’s about all the interaction I can stomach.

I glance at my bare wrist. “Oh wow, look at the time! We’ve got to get to school. See you later, Uncle John!” Before he can respond, I grab Jeremy by the hood and drag him out the door, Anna hurrying behind.

As I slam the door shut behind us, Jeremy scowls. “Hey! What was that for?”

I roll my eyes. “Another family secret. John? He’s a vampire hunter. A very active one. So, maybe don’t bring your vampire girlfriend to breakfast next time.” I explain, perhaps a bit patronisingly.

Jeremy’s eyes go wide. His voice drops to a whisper. “Do you think he knows?”

He flicks a glance toward Anna, who does not look thrilled.

I shake my head, ‘’Doubt it, you can’t exactly sniff vampires out or something.’’

‘’Did he tell you how long he’s staying?’’ Anna chimes in, probably not wanting their new hangout place to be with her mother that has vampire hearing.

‘’No, but I’ll try to find out. First I gotta tell Stefan and Damon before they go acting all vampire-y around John.’’ I sigh, knowing Damon will probably not be on his best behaviour after Katherine and being tortured.

I pull my phone out to text Stefan, since the other one is most likely still hungover. But I’m proving wrong as a text notification pops up.

Damon<3

Meet me at the Founders Hall in fifteen minutes, council meeting.

“Oh, and Jer? One last secret.” I mutter, heading for the car.

“What now?” he asks, still processing the last one.

“I’m adopted. Anyway, gotta go!”

“WHAT?!” he shouts, chasing after me.

But I’m already halfway down the driveway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I stare up at the old Founders Hall building, like most dated buildings it takes after the Greek revival style with huge marble pillars sitting in front of the entrance.

Just outside the wide glass doors, a deputy stands guard. Makes sense. You wouldn’t want an innocent civilian wandering in and overhearing the supernatural secrets that run this town.

Unfortunately for them, one of those secrets is waving at me from the bottom of the steps.

Dressed head-to-toe in black, not missing his signature leather jacket, is Damon Salvatore.

“Hey, Damon. How’re you feeling?” I ask, giving him a once-over. Not that he’d show any signs of damage even if there were some.

He tilts his head with a smirk, “Oh, you know, just peachy. Kidnapping really does wonders for your skin. I highly recommend it.”

I nod, “Yeah, my acne cleared right up after Anna kidnapped me.”

He lets out a short laugh. But I press on, softer now. “Okay, but really. How are you?”

His smirk fades slightly, as he looks past his dark sunglasses at me, “Physically? I’m great. Emotionally? Let’s just say I’ve had more fun at vervain-infused pool parties.”

I raise a brow, still hoping for a sentence lacking sarcasm or jokes. Which is quite frankly stupid of me.

He pauses for a moment, then sighs, “Honestly? I probably wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for you.” He gives a small, almost reluctant smile.

A smile tugs at my lips, “Well, you were starting to catch up to me in the whole saving each other thing. Had to even the score.” I shrug.

Damon clutches his chest dramatically. ‘’Ouch, Elena. And here I thought you actually cared about me’’ he gasps

I scoff, shaking my head. Then, almost instinctively , I step forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders, forcing me on my tiptoes. “Of course I care, Damon. I’m glad you’re okay.”

I can’t pretend I didn’t lie awake all night after he and Stefan were taken. Every time I closed my eyes, a new awful scenario played out in my head. It’s wild to think that just weeks ago, these people were characters to me. That thought spirals fast, so I shove it aside.

Damon stiffens like I short-circuited him. Then, after a beat, he exhales slowly and wraps his arms around me. His breath is warm against my shoulder.

“Thank you, Elena,” he murmurs. “For coming back.”

After a moment, I pull away. He clears his throat, slipping right back into his usual bravado.

“Well, shall we?” He grins and offers his arm like he’s taking me to prom.

I take it, and we climb the pristine steps together, nodding at the deputy as we enter.

The interior of Founders Hall is wide and polished, usually reserved for swanky parties and dull mayoral speeches. Today, it’s filled with representatives from every founding family, all looking extra self-important.

I lean toward Damon and whisper. “Do you know what this is about?”

Damon shrugs, eyes skimming the crowd. “All I got was the word ‘urgent.’ Thought it might be worth the trip for Mystic Falls’ latest legacy member.”

I glance up at him, ‘’Thanks, after this is all over. I’ve got some urgent new information for you too.’’

He leans down a little, voice low. “Is this ‘urgent’ as in end of the world urgent... or a secret declaration of love urgent? Because I need to emotionally prepare.”

I jab him in the ribs right as Sheriff Forbes steps up to the small stage. His grin stays firmly in place.

She walks up on the small stage at the end of the room, a dangerously serious look plastered all over her face. ‘’Vicky Donovan's body was discovered yesterday, she was found with bite marks on her neck and her body was drained of blood. We haven’t gone public, but in a few days we’ll notify her family and rule it as a drug overdose.’’

If I had a drink, it’d be all over the floor right now.

How the fuck did they find her body? In the show Caroline found it after her car slipped in some mud, but this time around she would’ve called me instead of her mom. I slowly side-eye Damon, silently judging his corpse disposal skills.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Mayor Lockwood steps in, clearing his throat. “Now, on a more pressing matter—John Gilbert has asked to say a few words. Welcome back, John.”

I stiffen as John emerges from behind a group of taller council members, he steps forward to shake the mayors hand, ‘’Thank you mayor.’’

I glance at Damon. Now he’s side-eyeing me.

“Urgent news,” I whisper.

Elena’s uncle-daddy vampire hunter takes the mic. “Good afternoon, everyone. It’s great to be back. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”

His gaze sweeps the room—and pauses, just for a second, when it lands on me.

Then he continues.

“There have been a number of break-ins at nearby hospitals and blood banks. And the number of missing persons cases within a seventy-five-mile radius is climbing fast.”

Seventy-five miles. Yeah, that probably means something. If I knew how far that actually was.

Mayor Lockwood jumps in, clearly trying to stop the spiral. “‘’Okay, okay. No need to get alarmed right at this moment. Let’s not jump to conclusions. There’s no immediate danger. No reason to panic.”

But John isn’t having it. “You think all of your problems are over, but I’m here to tell you, nothing’s been solved”

He says it with the kind of conviction that sends an uneasy ripple through the crowd.

A few minutes later, the mayor calls the meeting to a close. The moment the words leave his mouth, I exhale—relieved it’s over... and already dreading what’s coming next.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

We all begin filtering out of the hall, moving toward the exit. Damon peeled off to talk to Sheriff Forbes—after I warned him, for the love of God, to stay as far away from John Gilbert as possible.

Unfortunately, I’m not great at taking my own advice.

“Elena, wait up,” John calls from behind me, jogging to catch up.

I turn slowly, doing my best to hide the instinctive scowl creeping onto my face. “Yeah?”

“How long have you known?” he asks.

I blink, playing it casual. “My parents told me. A little before the accident.”

He raises his brows, clearly surprised. “Really? I thought they were planning to wait until you turned eighteen.”

My expression falters for just a second. “Well, I’m glad they didn’t. With everything going on lately... it would’ve been a lot worse going in blind.”

He nods, then shifts the subject. “That man you were with earlier—Damon Salvatore, right? I heard he took down a vampire by himself. Very impressive.”

It’s not a compliment. He’s already onto Damon, shit.

I return a tight smile. “Yeah. We’re... lucky to have Damon around.”

John’s eyes narrow. “He’s a little old for you, though, don’t you think?”

A laugh escapes me—sharp, defensive. “I’m not dating Damon. I’m dating his brother.”

The words tumble out too fast. And the moment they’re in the air, I regret them.

First of all, Stefan and I haven’t had that talk yet. Second of all, maybe don’t mention you’re romantically involved with the sibling of someone a vampire hunter already suspects. Just a thought.

But it’s too late.

John tilts his head, no longer smiling. “Oh? And who might that be?”

I clear my throat and try to pass it off with a shrug. “Stefan. Stefan Salvatore. He’s in my class.”

“Hm.” John hums, studying my face. “Do you see him often?”

That feels like a roundabout way to ask if he’s been invited in.

“Yeah.” I keep my answer short. No need to give him anything else to work with.

He watches me for a beat, then switches gears.

“Well. I look forward to meeting him.” His smile returns, thinner this time. “By the way, have you come across the Gilbert compass in your dad’s old stuff?”

Thank God. That, I’m actually prepared for.

“Oh, that old thing? It broke.” I fake a sheepish shrug. “Had to dig through all their stuff for Mrs. Lockwood a while back. Pretty sure it got tossed.”

Which is obviously bullshit, since it’s safely tucked away in my underwear drawer.

His eyes grow cold for a second, “That’s too bad,” he says slowly. “But everything breaks eventually. Especially old things.”

His gaze drifts past me, locking on someone behind my shoulder. I don’t need to turn around to know exactly who it is.

Chapter Text

My palms turn clammy as I raise my hand to knock on the all-too-familiar door. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or annoyed that Damon stayed behind to talk with Sheriff Forbes. On one hand, I wouldn’t have to walk in here alone. On the other, I’d have had to make Damon fuck off anyway just to talk to Stefan in peace, not that it would’ve mattered. He’d definitely have eavesdropped with his vampire hearing.

God, what’s taking him so long to open the damn door?

I lift my hand to knock again, but before my knuckles meet the wood, the door swings open and I stumble forward.

I feel two hands grip my shoulders, steadying me.

“Careful. You almost took us both out.”

I glance up and meet Stefan Salvatore’s signature soft smile.

A sheepish grin tugs at my lips as I straighten up. “Sorry about that. I was just about to knock and then the door—well, yeah. You saw.”

Stefan steps aside, mercifully ignoring my awkward rambling. “Do you want to come in?”

I nod and step inside. The place looks spotless, someone clearly had time to clean up after the tomb vampire mess. The furniture looks untouched, as if it’s never seen dust in its life. My eyes narrow on the coffee table. It's been smashed at least three times now, and yet somehow they keep finding the exact same one. Creepy.

“Want something to drink? Tea?” Stefan asks, guiding me toward the couch.

I shake my head. “I’d rather just get this over with first.” Honestly, if I tried drinking tea right now, I’d probably throw it up on his rug.

His smile falters as he sits across from me, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.

“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” I cringe, holding up my hands. Saying you want to “get something over with” before a heart-to-heart probably wasn’t the smartest phrasing.

I sigh. “I mean, I’m nervous as hell and I don’t want to keep putting this off.” My fingers fidget in my lap, trying to not focus as much on his piercing stare directed right at me.

A small chuckle leaves him, causing me to nervously flicker my eyes up at him.

"Hey, it’s okay. I get it." His voice is soft, steady, the way it always is when he's trying to make someone feel safe. "You’re not the only one who’s nervous."

I raise a brow. “Immortal vampire Stefan Salvatore gets nervous talking about feelings?” I snort.

“You make me nervous,” he replies without hesitation, no hint of sarcasm.

I remain silent, not really not knowing if that's a good thing or not.

“Not in a bad way,” he adds quickly, shaking his head. “Just… every time I’m around you, I second-guess everything. Every smile, every touch — I’m always worried I’m reading too much into it. That I’ll screw it up by wanting too much.”

He folds his hands, looking down for a moment.

Welp, I guess it’s my turn now. Here goes nothing.

“I—uh, we—” I groan and toss my head back. “Okay, words aren’t really my thing, so I’ll just say it. I like you, Stefan. A lot. I think I’ve liked you for a while now. But everything’s been so damn complicated, and I didn’t want to add to that. But… hiding how I feel? That’s made things even messier.”
I take a deep breath, hoping that something coherent came out of my ramblings.

I said “like,” not “love.” Because hell if I know what love even feels like yet, especially in this weird ass situation. I just hope “like” is enough for now.

I glance at Stefan, who seems to be taking everything in, looking pensive.

He exhales slowly. “I tried so hard not to cross a line. Not to make things harder for you. But…” A grin breaks across his face. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been waiting weeks to hear you say that.”

The smile spreading on my face feels impossible to contain. “So…” I drag out the word, not bothering to hide my amusement after all the stress holding my body hostage has dissipated.

Stefan raises an eyebrow. “So?”

Under the table, I nudge my foot against his. “So are you going to ask me properly or what?”

He lets out a soft chuckle, then leans in, taking my hands in his. “Elena Gilbert, would you do me the honor of being my wonderfully kind, endlessly captivating, incredibly brave girlfriend?”

I wave my hand, trying to look unimpressed, but the smile on my face gives me away. “Took you long enough.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>

Although I haven’t been here before, Stefan’s room feels oddly familiar. I mean I have seen it about a hundred times, but standing in it now, the dark wood bookshelves and scattered historical artifacts give me an eerie sense of déjà vu.

My fingers trail across the spines of the books stacked neatly on his nightstand. I let myself sink onto the edge of his bed, glancing up to find Stefan watching me, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

I raise an eyebrow. “Something funny?”

He tilts his head slightly, his eyes roaming over me with a teasing glint.
“Just trying to figure out how you make my room look better just by sitting in it.”

I press a hand to my heart in mock shock. “Mr. Salvatore, seduction? We’ve been dating for—” I glance at my bare wrist, “—maybe thirty minutes. I think back in your day, we’d be stoned for this.”

He chuckles, eyes flicking down.
“Ms. Gilbert, in my day, you’d be stoned for showing that much ankle.” He eases down beside me, close enough that I can feel the warmth of him.

“Well,” I say, lifting a brow, “have you been admiring my ankles? How crude of you.” I shake my head with a dramatic sigh, but the joke fizzles as his fingers graze mine.

I glance over, Stefan’s gaze is soft, focused entirely on me. A shiver runs through me when his hand brushes my arm, moving up, every touch sending tiny sparks across my skin.

Then, gently, his hand finds its final place on my cheek. Heat floods my face.

“I’ve been admiring a whole lot more,” he murmurs. He leans in, slowly, carefully, his hand light on my face, leaving the final choice up to me.

I meet him halfway, smiling into the kiss. It’s less adrenaline than last night, no evil vampires, no racing hearts from fear. Just us.

His other hand slides around my back, pulling me closer. As our torso’s meet I feel his chest quickly rising and falling. My hands move instinctively—one on his shoulder, the other tangling in his hair. His tongue brushes my bottom lip, and I tug gently on his soft locks.

He lets out a low groan, the hand on my back curls around my waist and Stefan pulls me up on his lap.

Somewhere, deep in the rational part of my brain, it would say that thirty minutes into a relationship isn’t the most respectable time to get dirty.

But that part is shut off real quick when his hands go down to my hips, pressing me harder against him. Forcing a soft moan out of me as I feel my body start to heat up.

After a couple dozen deep kisses,I shortly pull back for air. Stefan’s hungry eyes look at me but a concerned look still takes on his face.

‘’Are you alright?’’ He softly whispers, his fingers brushing away the hairs stuck to my forehead

A wide grin spreads across my face, and instead of answering, I press my lips back to his. My hands slide under his dark shirt, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, the firmness of his abs and as I feel his hands strongly grasp my ass, I dare to go down further. Feeling his waistband, and then—.

A familiar glib voice interrupts all the sexual tension in the room.

“Well, isn’t this just adorable?”

I fling myself off Stefan’s lap, landing on the hardwood floor with a groan. Looking up, I spot Damon lounging against the doorframe, with a big nasty grin plastered on his face.

“I don’t think your uncle would approve—”

Before he can finish, I pull the pillow out from behind me and hurl it right in his stupid, annoying face.

Stefan jumps up and helps me to my feet. Giving me a quick look-over.
Damon catches the pillow with a melodramatic “ouch” and tosses it aside with exaggerated flair.

‘’Get out Damon.’’ He harshly states, staring daggers at his brother.

Damon shrugs, arms crossed. “Come on, Stefan. As your brother, it’s my sacred duty to... supervise.”

Before Stefan can respond, I reach for the second pillow behind me.

‘’Wait!’’

I turn around to Damon holding out his hands in defense.

‘’No more pillow attacks, please.’’ He pouts, the big baby.

I raise my brows, “Then perhaps,” I say sweetly, “fuck off, Damon.”

He chuckles, ‘’Always so charming, Elena.’’

He lets out a sigh, "But fine, fine. I was just stopping by to break the news that your vampire hunting uncle is back in town to Stefan." He tilts his head slightly, his eyes shifting between me and Stefan.

Stefan’s eyes flicker to me for a second, not with suspicion, just surprise. I was going to tell him after the whole boyfriend-girlfriend talk, but we got a bit.. preoccupied.

‘’So what was I so rudely interrupting anyway, are you two..?”’ Damon moves his fingers between us, with a questioning look.

‘’Not that it is any of your business, Damon. But we’re together.’’ Stefan’s voice is firm and steady as he straightens up.

“Together, huh?” Damon chuckles lightly, though his voice is tinged with something like disbelief. His eyes flicker to me, hanging there for a second before he resumes speaking.

"Well, that's nice ." Damon scoffs, "But I don’t think dear uncle John is going to like your choice of boyfriend very much. "

It would definitely be a step up from John thinking I’m dating you, I think he might actually stake me if that were the case.

With that, he finally takes his leave. Leaving a lingering ‘Damon’ feeling hanging in the air, and totally ruining the mood for the rest of the day.

“Vampire-hunting Uncle John?” Stefan asks, amused.

I let out a breathy chuckle, “Long story. But yeah... you might be disinvited from family game night for a while.

Chapter Text

“So… he kissed you and then?” Caroline practically tumbles across the picnic table, barely holding herself up on her elbows.

I shake my head, grinning. “Technically, I kissed him.”

Her eyes go wide. “Okay, so then did you fu—”

“Oh my god, Caroline,” Bonnie groans, face buried in her hands. “They’ve been dating for one day.”

She’d been just as curious fifteen minutes ago, but Caroline’s thirst for gossip, and other things, has clearly worn her down.

Caroline flops back into her seat with a dramatic sigh. “Excuse me for living vicariously to the only person here getting anything. Some of us can’t hook up with our boyfriends without worrying we’ll drain them like a Capri Sun.”

“How are you and Matt anyway?” I ask, trying to redirect the attention off of my love life. “You’ve been official a week now, right?”

Her face lights up instantly. “Ah-maz-ing. I mean, if I wasn’t—” she gestures little vampire fangs at her mouth, “—I’d be jumping his bones every second. But he’s sweet, he makes me feel… normal. And his mom’s always out or too hungover to care, so win-win.”

Until the town figures out where Vicki Donovan really went... I’ll tell her. Just… maybe let her have this one more day of happiness.

“Oh!” Caroline perks up again. “He’s even skipping work to be my escort for Miss Mystic Falls. After I maybe compelled his douchey boss to let him off…” She trails off, trying to look innocent.

Bonnie side-eyes her. She's definitely heard enough horror stories from her grams about vampires abusing their power.

And between boyfriend, family and supernatural drama, I forgot that the pageant was this month, not the next.

“I take it you’re going with Stefan?” Bonnie asks.

A nervous chuckle escapes. “I… might’ve forgotten the pageant was this month.”

“You’re not dropping out, are you?” Caroline gasps, looking personally offended.

I give her a pointed look. “Caroline Forbes, there is no way I’m handing you that crown without a fight.” I lean in, mock-serious. “Consider yourself warned.”

She grins and sticks out her hand. “Good. I couldn’t handle competing with just the Fell girls. They’d probably trip over their own gowns.”

We shake like the overdramatic queens we are. But the moment our hands part, I remember why I texted them to meet in the first place. And how this surprise could work in my favor.

‘’To change the subject, I didn’t just text you to talk about my make-out session. I’ve got a plan and I need your help.’’ I whisper, checking around for any unwanted stares.

Bonnie raises her brow, ‘’Elena we’re the only one in this park, or do you think the birds are spying on us?’’ 

A flashback to Damon’s dumbass bird crosses my mind, and I give a side eye to the raven in the tree next to us.

‘’Okay, so what is it?’’ Caroline’s words pull me back.

I don’t want to lie to them too much, but I can hardly say ‘ I need the moonstone, which is used in a ritual for an old ass vampire to suck out all of my blood .’ So I’ll go back to my favorite excuse.

‘’I was going to some other journals of great-granddaddy Gilbert and I stumbled on another object that can be used against vampires.’’

‘’Like the ones Emily spelled?’’ Bonnie asks, her interest clearly piqued.

After Emily took over her body, I explained some more about what her great grandma was up to in civil war times. Including the spelling of several objects to fight against vampires.

I nod. “Exactly. And after some digging, I think the Lockwoods have it. Tyler once bragged to Jeremy about their ‘uncrackable family safe,’ so... probably in there.”

“And you think they’ll use it? Because of the Council meeting?” Bonnie asks.

“If ever there was a time to whip out the vampire weapon stash, it’s now. John’s been making it sound like the undead apocalypse is coming. Everyone’s on edge.”

“So what’s the plan?” Caroline asks. “Want me to compel Tyler into opening it?” She grins like she really hopes the answer is yes.

“Maybe don’t,” I say carefully. “His parents could have slipped vervain into his coffee by now. Honestly, be careful yourself. If your mom gives you any new jewelry or perfume, don’t use it.”

Caroline blanches. “Ugh, hadn’t even thought of that. Not like I’d ever wear something she gave me anyway.” She mumbles, clearly still wrapping her head around the vampire-hunter-mom dynamic.

“I could check Emily’s grimoire,” Bonnie offers. “See if there’s a spell for opening locks?”

Caroline snorts. “Right, because they definitely had keypad safes in the 1800s.”

Bonnie kicks her under the table. Caroline yelps, but grins.

Despite their bickering, I can’t help smiling. “So... you’re both in?”

They nod in unison.

“Obviously,” Bonnie says.

“Duh,” Caroline echoes. “What would you even do without us?”

“What are friends for,” Bonnie adds with a wink.

I hit Decline for the third time in the fifteen minutes it takes me to walk home from the park.

Anonymous callers only ever mean one of three things: scammers, kidnappers, or stalkers.

Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, all three.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from watching way too many horror movies, it’s this: nothing good ever happens when you answer the creepy mystery call.

And it’s not like I don’t have enough going on.

Ask Stefan if he wants to be my escort for a pageant, find a way to break open the Lockwood safe, make sure my uncle doesn’t kill any vampires I care about and win the fuck out of Miss Mystic Falls. Because I do love Caroline, but I love winning even more.

After all of Katherine’s bullshit is over, I’ll take a nice spa day and hope the grey stress hairs I’ve acquired go away.

Unfortunately the fourth buzzing sound from my back pocket gets rid of my resolve. My hand shoots out to reach my phone, again. Without hesitation I press accept. 

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!” I scream into the phone, completely ignoring the judgmental glances from nearby neighbors.

A groan follows on the other end. “ Holy hell. Who pissed in your cereal this morning? ”

Not a scammer. Not a kidnapper. Not a stalker.

Worse.

“Damon,” I sigh, all the heat draining from my voice. “What did you do?”

He huffs, wounded. “ You’re the one who just shattered my eardrum. Thanks for that, by the way. ”

I jam my key into the front door lock, muttering, “I’ve been getting spammed by unknown numbers all day.” A pause. “Sorry.” I softly mutter

“Apology accepted,” he says—too easily. Damon Salvatore doesn’t “accept” anything without an agenda.

“ ...You might want to hold onto that apology when I tell you what I did .”

I freeze halfway through the doorframe. “I knew it. I knew you did something. Spit it out.”

He exhales slowly, like he's bracing for impact.

“ Okay. So... your sweet, beloved Uncle John may have… tripped. And fell. And broke his neck. On my carpet. ”

A long pause. Not because I’m shocked. But because I can feel my blood pressure rising and my grip on the phone tightening like I might actually crush it.

“ Elena? ” Damon says carefully.

I turn, step back out the door, and slam it shut behind me.

“I’m on my way.”

See, the real Elena would probably cry because her uncle just got murdered.

I’m pissed because now John is going to come back to life, fully fueled by vampire-slaying rage, and try to kill everyone I care about.

And I don’t know how long that damn ring takes to bring someone back—

But I’m not waiting around to find out.

“Elena, so nice of you to stop by,” Damon greets with an uncharacteristically pleasant smile, motioning me inside like I’m a guest at a brunch and not here to deal with a body.

I storm past him and make my way toward the living room, noting the absence of Stefan. Who is present would be Elena’s uncle sprawled out on the floor, his neck at an angle no neck should ever be at. 

But the temporary corpse on the carpet isn’t the weirdest thing in the room.

“Mr. Saltzman?!” I stare wide-eyed at the man standing behind the corpse like this is just another Tuesday.

“Uh... hey, Elena,” he says awkwardly, clearly aware of just how insane this looks.

I whip back to Damon, lowering my voice. “Why the hell is he here?”

Damon leans in conspiratorially, shielding his mouth like we’re in some spy movie.

“I think he likes me too much. Can’t stay away.” He gives me a smug wink before turning back to Ric.

I shoot a questioning look at Alaric, hoping someone in this room will offer an actual explanation.

“We were talking,” Alaric starts carefully. “Your uncle showed up. Tried to kill Damon. I’m sorry, Elena.”

He sounds like someone who understands murder might upset a person. Which, to be fair, it usually does.

But I’m too distracted by the more important part.

“You were talking to Damon?” I blink. “Didn’t you want to turn him into a vampire kebab?” I cringe

Alaric is taken aback for a moment, before his gaze flutters to Damon and back to me. “It was about Isobel. I had questions.” he sighs, obviously not having got much out of Trudy Peterson and in desperate need of some answers.

Who I hope hasn’t been murdered this time around… sorry Trudy.

“Sooo...” I cross my arms. “You’re not trying to murder the Salvatores anymore?”

Alaric shakes his head but before he can answer, Damon jumps in.

“Ric and I are thick as thieves now. Nothing brings two people together like a little light homicide.” He smirks, shooting a wink Ric’s way.

Alaric rolls his eyes. “You’re the one who snapped his neck.”

Damon raises both hands in defence. “Self-defense, remember? Johnny boy pulled the stake first.”

I narrow my eyes. That... actually sounds like something John would do. But it’s Damon—there’s always something left out.

He meets my gaze, and after a long pause, sighs. “Okay, maybe I lightly threatened him. But he started it—creepin’ around, acting like he knew I was a vampire. Classic John.”

I glance at the floor, then back at Alaric. “So what, am I supposed to help bury the body? Pretend he went back to whatever miserable rock he crawled out from?” I sigh.

Hopefully Alaric has already made the connection so I don’t have to act that surprised when my ‘dead’ ‘uncle’ suddenly returns from the dead.

Alaric scratches the back of his neck. “Well... about that...”, obviously trying to find a way to tell me the truth without sounding crazy.

Damon cuts in with a smug grin. “He’s not even dead! No harm done. So really, no need to get all cranky with me.”

I give him a slow, sarcastic smile. “Wow. Thanks so much for only fake-murdering my uncle.” I give him a hard pat on the back. “Could one of you explain what the hell that means?”

Alaric raises his hand, showing off the clunky Gilbert family ring.

“Same way I came back. This ring.”

My eyes flick to the identical one on John’s finger. 

“Immortality ring?”

Alaric makes a face. “Kind of. It only works if you’re killed by something supernatural.”

I nod slowly, fingers under my chin. Good to know I don’t have to dance around that secret anymore.

“Where’d you get yours?”

“Isobel,” comes a groan from the floor.

All three of us look down as John props himself up, one hand on the floor, the other massaging his neck.

He turns to Alaric.

“And I wouldn’t’ve given her mine if I’d known she’d hand it off to another guy.”

God, how did no one figure out he was Isobel’s baby daddy sooner? Subtlety is not his strong suit.

Damon tilts his head. “You knew her?”

John looks over with a smug grin. “Who do you think sent her to you when she decided to become a vampire?”

I blink. “Doesn’t really sound like someone who hates vampires.”

His gaze swings to me, and the grin vanishes.

“Your parents hated vampires too, Elena. What do you think they’d say, knowing who you spend time with? Who you date?”

I scoff. “Which parents are we talking about? Because I don’t think Isobel would mind.”’ A nasty smile finds its way onto my face. Although this isn’t even my life, my family, the hypocrisy is just too much.

His expression falters. Caught off-guard. “Isobel lost herself chasing that world,” he says eventually. “Now you’re doing the same.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes and retaliating with a comment about how he’s still probably in contact with said vampire. 

‘’Yeah, why don’t we skip the whole lecture and get to why you’re really here.’’ I coldly say, crossing my arms.

John gets to his feet, brushing off his jacket.

“I’m here to protect Mystic Falls. To protect you and your brother.” His voice is all tight jaw and no warmth.

Beside me, Damon snorts. “You’re awfully smug for someone one ugly ring away from eternal dirt nap.”

John steps in close, smirking right back. ‘’Well, just know if I die, everything I know goes to the council. Including the fascinating little tale of the Salvatore brothers.’’ He turns to me, ‘’Or the tragic tale of what happened to Sheriff Forbes’s Daughter.’’

How the fuck did he find out about that? Even Carolines own mom hasn’t figured it out.

And finally, it’s Alaric's turn, ‘’It was a pleasure meeting you Ric, I’ve heard so much about you.’’

And just like that, John strolls out of the Boarding House, leaving us all in stunned silence.

Damon exhales. “Your uncle’s a dick.”

I nod. “Yeah. I know.”

Chapter Text

The door behind me shuts with way more force than is appropriate. I lean my head back on it, trying not to think about how I just massively embarrassed myself during the Miss Mystic Falls interview.

‘’Don’t tell me you screwed it up.’’ A voice appears to my right.

As I turn my head I see my favorite blonde coming down the hallway, her face looks just like the one she pulls when I make a mistake during cheerleading practice. 

I let out a breath, ‘’I haven’t done shit for this town besides lower the citizen count.’’

She waves me off, ‘’Oh come on, you should’ve milked the dead parents angle. You know Mrs. Lockwood can’t handle that.’’

My brow arches. “Real sensitive, Care.”

She snorts. “Like the last few weeks haven’t hardened you up.” She links her arm through mine and tugs me along the hallway.

While we walk past various Lockwood family portraits, her words run through my mind. I suppose I have changed, but who wouldn’t? I got thrown into a completely new world, full of vampires and people I had a crush on when I was 14. 

If I was as scared of blood and death as I previously was, I’d never survive what is about to come: Katherine, Elijah, Klaus and the sacrifice.  

I’ve never been one for plans. I’m more of a “figure it out when I get there” kind of person. But that won’t cut it with three old-as-fuck-vampire masterminds trying to ruin my life.

My eyes flick over to Caroline. I’ve thought about it, just turning, running, disappearing. But that would mean leaving everyone I care about to die. And even Katherine couldn’t outrun the Mikaelsons forever.

So here’s the plan:

1. Get the moonstone.
2. Use said moonstone as leverage to keep Katherine from killing my friends.
3. Strike a deal with Elijah and chug the weird potion he brewed for her.
4. Fake my death.
5. Book a one-way ticket to Thailand with Stefan.
6. Cue the happy ending.

The only thing I need to watch out for is stray dogs that try to bite any of my vampire friends, which adds some more things to my list.

1.2) Make sure Tyler doesn’t turn

1.3) Only kill Mason for the sacrifice, so that his loser pack members don’t start sniffing around so soon

Flawless. Or at least, delusional in a charming way.

“What’s got you thinking so hard?” a new voice asks from ahead.

Caroline nudges me as Stefan steps into view.

“Just picturing how many times I’m going to step on your toes during the dance,” I say.

Stefan smiles and offers his hand. I slip free of Caroline’s grip, give her a quick “see you soon,” and join him.

“Is there still time to rescind my offer as your escort?”

I smirk. “Sorry. Deadline passed.”

The hallway’s buzzing with students. We pass Bonnie with a wave and do our best to ignore Caroline and Matt being nauseatingly couple-y in a corner.

“I’ve actually always wanted to be part of this,” Stefan leans in and whispers.

I stare. “You always wanted to be Miss Mystic Falls?”

He chuckles and nudges me. “No. I’ve always wanted to be on the arm of Miss Mystic Falls.”

“Too bad Matt beat you to it,” I sigh, tragically. “You’ll have to settle for second place.”

He tightens his grip on my hand. “You couldn’t have done that badly. But if you did, you’ve got extra work to do in the dance portion. Luckily for you, your partner was around when this was invented.”

I grin. “You realize how creepy that sounds, right?”

“Says the girl with a vampire-hunting uncle and a vampire boyfriend?” he shoots me a look.

I raise a brow. “Well, if it weirds you out, we can always brea—”

He yanks me close. “Nice try. You’re stuck with me. Even if your uncle were Van Helsing himself.”

He pushes open the gym doors. I follow behind. Inside, Carol Lockwood is tapping her heel like she’s trying to crack the vinyl floor. She looks two seconds away from snapping a clipboard in half.

Me and Stefan step up to the center of the room, I loosely recognise the Fell girls from math class. And the dirty blond on my right I recognise as Amber, the unlucky victim of ripper Stefan. Thankfully I’ve managed to avoid all of that, man that would’ve been so much extra work.

As I hear the gym door behind me open once again, I turn around to see Caroline shooting a smile at me and then at Mrs. Lockwood. Who seems very anxious to get started now everyone is here.

‘’Now then, honor your partners.’’ She claps her hands.

I raise my right hand. Stefan mirrors me as we start to circle each other. When Mrs. Lockwood instructs us to “flirt with our eyes,” I nearly choke trying not to laugh.

“This is ridiculous,” I whisper, eyeing Stefan’s fluttery lashes.

He smirks. “You’re only saying that ‘cause you don’t know how.”

I roll my eyes. “Says the guy who was alive when this crap was choreographed.”

“Both hands!” Mrs. Lockwood claps again.

I place both hands near Stefan’s, a hair's breadth away from contact. I scan the room. The competition is... weak. One girl won last year, no way she’s taking it again. The Fell girls are too distracted making goo-goo eyes at their partners. Leaving Mrs. Lockwood not impressed.

The real threat is Caroline. She lives for events like this. She’s beautiful, always prepared, and has every founding-family mom in her back pocket.

But Amber, she’s the dark horse. In the show, she never made it to the dance thanks to Stefan’s little slip-up. But here, she’s poised, calm, and if I’m being honest not someone to underestimate.

Briefly, I consider having Damon compel the judges. But then Caroline would just undo it. Fucking vampires.

We spin again. Stefan leans in closer than Mrs. Lockwood would like.

“You’re doing great. Don’t worry about them,” he murmurs.

I glance at his face. If there were points for having the hottest date, I’d already have the crown.

I shoot him my best flirty gaze — just shy of bursting into laughter. “Couldn’t do it without you, Mr. Salvatore—”

Ring

Out of instinct I look around to room to see which fucking idiot forgot to turn of their phone, but it’s hard to pretend it isn’t me when the noice flooding the room originates from my back pocket.

‘’Elena, would you mind shutting off your phone during practice.’’ Mrs. Lockwood condescendingly snides my way, knocking more holes in my dream of becoming Miss Mystic Falls.

I nod quickly, ripping the phone from my back pocket. Someone better be dead or I’m about to make them.

An annoyed sigh escapes my lips as I see the now familiar anonymous caller ID and press decline. As I look back up at Mrs. Lockwood, I shoot her a sheepish smile, ‘’Won’t happen again.’’

She sternly nods as we continue where we left off, but her stare for the rest of the practice feels like it could burn a hole right through me

"I'm screwed," I mutter, letting out a heavy sigh as I hang my head and trudge down the empty hallway.

Stefan slings an arm around my shoulder. "They’re not going to dock points just because your phone went off during rehearsal," he says with a crooked smile.

I shoot him a sideways glance. "Have you met Mrs. Lockwood? Or those stuck-up Founder’s Council judges? They’d deduct points if one of my hairs was out of place."

He chuckles, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. "Honestly, if they’re going to take points off, it’ll be for stealing their prized vampire-hunting relics." He winks.

I stop and hold up a finger, clearly offended. "For your information, I have a brilliant plan that will leave the Lockwoods thinking their house is haunted, not that a couple of teens broke into their safe."

I’m still praying on a text from Bonnie saying that she found a good spell, but at least her grandma is helping her out. 

Stefan hums thoughtfully. "I don’t doubt it. But are you sure there’s nothing I can do?" His voice shifts, more serious now. He’s finally realizing we might not walk away clean if any of the council members catch wind of what we’re up to.

I smile and shake my head, ‘’I’m afraid you’re just arm candy for this plan Stefan, I’ve got it all handled’’. Stefan is great but Caroline has got all the vampire strength I need for plan B.

He gasps, hand over his heart in mock offense. "Wow. Is that all I am to you?"

"That, and I was really into Twilight last year," I tease with a grin. But then I pause, an idea forming. "Actually... you could be in charge of keeping John from killing any vampires we like. I have to get ready for most of the day, so I’d feel better if you were watching him.’’

John wants to kill every vampire in town, which includes my bestfriend and boyfriend. I think around this time he is already planning on killing Anna’s mother in the show. But I doubt they will make it that easy this time around, Anna must’ve clued in her mother already about the vampire hating Gilbert that just arrived in town.

As much as I want them to have a happy ever after, I need to focus on the vampires around me. Specifically the just newby vampire that appears at all the same parties as John.

Stefan nods, understanding. "So basically… keep Damon and John from murdering each other?"

"Exactly. And be careful," I warn, my tone turning serious. "John hates all vampires, even the bunny-eating ones."

Chapter Text

I dig my fingers carefully into the edge of my painfully tight updo, trying to scratch without destroying the meticulously arranged curls.

A hand suddenly swats mine away.

"Elena! You're going to ruin it!" Jenna scolds.

I groan, wincing. "Jenna, I swear one of these pins is puncturing my skull."

In the mirror, I catch her giving me a classic disappointed grown-up head shake. It makes me smile, despite the pain. She never sees herself as the responsible adult, but damn if she doesn’t play the part when it counts.

"Thanks for helping me. I’d look like a frizzed-out disaster without you." I say, admiring the long curls cascading down my back.

She snaps out of her disappointment and shoots me a smile back, ‘’Don’t thank me until you’re sure your hair isn’t going to burn off.’’

I scoff, ‘’Don’t worry Jenna, the judges might give the win on appearance alone thanks to you.’’

And thank you Nina Dobrev, I’ve genuinely never felt so beautiful in my entire life, even though this isn’t even my face.

Jenna grins. "You and Stefan are going to be the most disgustingly beautiful couple there."

When I told her about my recent change of relationship status she almost died of excitement, it isn’t an overstatement to say she was one of the biggest stelena shippers ever.

As she adds a final spritz of spray, I grab the highlighter stick and begin touching up the glow on my cheekbones.

"Speaking of couples," I say, smirking as I meet her eyes in the mirror, "why has Uncle John been muttering about a certain history teacher making an awful lot of house calls? Jer’s grades aren’t that bad, are they?"

She sighs, already anticipating the teasing. "You think it’s weird that I’m dating your history teacher, don’t you?"

I immediately perk up, holding my hands up in front of me, ‘’Jenna, I find it amazing that you’re dating my history teacher.’’

Alaric is hot, which I can non weirdly say because I’m not actually a teenage girl. Next to being hot, he’s also a vampire hunter, a type of protection that I’m glad Jenna will have in the future.

Jenna’s brow shoots up, ‘’You find it amazing?’’

She gives me a strange look-over, like I suddenly inhaled too much hairspray. Which I probably did.

I nod, ‘’Well first of all, now he has to give me and Jer good grades. Second of all, you deserve a great guy, and if you’re happy, I’m happy.’’

Her face softens, eyes misting slightly. She sets the curling iron down and leans in to give me a careful side hug, one hand steady on my shoulder.

"Thank you for letting me be part of this. You’re an incredible niece, and you’re going to win the shit out of this.’’ 

All of a sudden I feel a rush of emotion and bite my cheek, not letting a stray tear ruin my make-up. My thoughts go to the real Elena Gilbert, who lost her parents, uncle and aunt all so close together. And how I would stake Klaus myself if he hurt Jenna in any way.

Jenna steps back, keeping her hand on my shoulder. I catch her gaze in the mirror.

"Jenna?" I say quietly.

"Yeah?"

I exhale. "After this is over, I need to talk to you. Something serious."

She frowns slightly, no doubt jumping to the whole adoption bombshell I haven’t dropped yet. "Alright," she says, voice shifting into serious-mode, then she grins, back to her usual self. "As long as you’re not pregnant."

"Jenna!" I gasp, scandalized. "Ew!"

Before I can respond further, a knock on the door steals away our attention.

"Hey, can we talk to Elena for a sec?" Bonnie pokes her head in, followed by Caroline, whose perfectly styled curls bounce as she enters.

Jenna nods. "Of course. We’re done here anyway." She gives me a final once-over and squeezes my hand. "Good luck out there. I’ll be waiting."

She shoots Caroline a quick good-luck too before slipping out, leaving the three of us in a soft cloud of hair spray and nerves.

Bonnie and Caroline flank me on either side of the chair. I eye both of them, questioningly.

‘’So…?’’

"We’re officially amazing," Caroline announces. "And we’re about to rob the Lockwoods blind. Bonnie, go ahead, blow her mind."

Bonnie smirks. "My grandma dug up a lockpicking spell. Simple, subtle, and it even works on electronic locks."

She throws Caroline a smug look.

"Tested it on my old diary box, worked like a charm. I can do it solo, no problem."

A big smile tugs on my lips, mostly because now we don’t have to perform the embarrassing brute strength plan B.

She proudly continues, ‘’So when everyone is assembled watching you both go down the stairs, I’ll sneak into the mayor's office.’’

"Are you sure you’re okay going in alone?" Caroline asks, brows creasing with concern. "What if a deputy wanders in or something?"

I nod along, chewing the inside of my cheek. "I could ask Damon to go with you."

Bonnie’s face twits in disgust, ‘’I’d rather die.’’

I’d wish Stefan was available, but with being my escort and John duty, he’s busy enough.

Bonnie straightens up, ‘’I’ll be fine anyway, all proper members of the founding families wouldn’t miss your introductions. I wouldn’t have offered to help if I didn’t think I could do it.’’

Reluctantly, me and Caroline agree, ‘’But if anything happens, call us, Miss Mystic Falls isn’t as important as your safety.’’ I add, Caroline waited a moment to respond, obviously dreaming of winning this since she was in diapers, but the nods along.

I unzip the garment bag, finally it’s time to complete my outfit and start the dance.

Stefan and I practiced the routine again at the boarding house, since my house is off limits to vampires at the moment.

Before slipping into the gown, I glance at my phone, scanning for a text from Bonnie.

Buzz

Perfect timing.

But just as I light up the screen, the vibration rattles in my hand again.

Unknown Fucking Caller.

Seriously?

I hadn’t had the time during dance rehearsal to properly chew the motherfucker out, but I guess now is the time.

Angrily, I press accept.

Jaw tight, I jab the accept button and inhale sharply, ready to unleash every curse word I know.

"Who—"

"Hello, Elena."

My rant gets interrupted by a somewhat familiar voice, leaving me stunned for a moment. The words lost in my throat.

"I-Isobel?" I stammer, barely believing my own words.

She hums, unbothered. "I’ve been trying to call you, Elena. It’s rude not to answer, you know."

An eerie chill goes down my spine at the calmness of her voice, I leave the dress in front of me and pace around the room.

"What do you want?" I bite out, brain scrambling for answers. Has she figured out the compass works?

Her tone remains flat, eerie in its casualness. "Right now, I want you to come outside."

I scoff. "And if I don’t, I assume you’ll kill some random bystander?"

"Yes," she replies without missing a beat. "That… or your sweet little aunt. Maybe your brother. Your choice."

I let out a groan as my eyes flicker over to my dress. Why of all fucking times did she have to show up now? Does John not want me around Stefan that bad? Talk about overprotective parents much.

Unfortunately, I can’t take this as an empty threat since I know what she’s capable of.

I grit my teeth. "Fine." I snap, and end the call.

Then, I proceed to stop five times hard on the floor out of frustration and hope no one noticed.

I shove my phone back into my pocket after sending an SOS message to the only person not doing anything important right now.

The cold air bites at my bare shoulders, a nice reminder that in my fury, I forgot to throw anything over my tank top. Great.

"Meet me outside" probably could’ve used some clarification. So now I’m pacing the patch of land beside the Lockwood estate, glaring at trees and grass. No sign of the evil bitch who ruined my night yet.

‘’Took you a while.’’ 

I jump a solid half-meter into the air. Spinning around, I come face to face with Isobel, Elena’s delightfully dead-inside-and-out birth mother. She looks exactly how she sounds, dressed in monotone black with straight dark hair flowing down her back.

I let out an annoyed breath, ‘’Maybe give better instructions with your threat next time?’’

Which is probably not the best thing to say to an emotionless vampire who can rip my throat out any time. But even Isobel won't kill her only child. I hope.

A smirk curls on her lips.‘’Well if you picked up my calls, we could’ve done this differently.’’ 

I raise a brow, ‘’And what is this ? Mother, daughter reunion?’’

Maybe she’s offended that I didn’t contact her first, but that would mean she actually has more emotions than a rock, so not likely.

She lets out a sigh as she puts her hand on her hip, ‘’Well I’m a bit offended that you didn’t even try to contact me.’’

Well damn.

“So, you sabotaged my first pageant because I didn’t chase down the woman who abandoned me almost two decades ago?’’ I scoff, she isn’t even my birth mother, but I’m getting offended on Elena’s behalf.

“You’re right,” she says, unnervingly calm. “But as your mother, I’m concerned about the company you keep.”

I raise a brow. “You mean the guy who turned you, or his brother?”

Her expression shifts, turning almost motherly disappointed, ‘’As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm you’re doomed.’’

I roll my eyes at the straight-from-tv line zinger, ‘’Good thing I’m not Katherine then.’’

Isobel’s gaze sharpens. “Katherine was smarter. She got out.”

At the mention of her name, something clicks in my brain. Isobel must be here on business with Katherine. She probably isn’t after the device, since the only thing Isobel would need to get it, is an invite in.

Isobel and John had this whole mission to kill the Salvatores so Elena’s life wouldn’t get ruined, but getting me away from the competition doesn’t seem like a logical step in doing so.

How does me leaving benefit Katherine, is she jealous Stefan is my partner? Probably, but she didn’t do the same in the show. What could I have possibly done to make her act up?

My eyes narrow as my brain lists off all the things I’ve changed up till now,

Lexi staying alive? Not relevant.

Caroline turning earlier? That actually helps Katherine complete her version of the sacrifice victims.

Bonnie’s grandma not dying? Maybe a bigger threat to Katherine.

Killing most of the tomb vampires? Eliminating the biggest threat for Katherine and losing the need for Isobel to get the device.

Katherine can show her head earlier now, because no gang of old angry vampires are waiting to kill her. Which means she’ll start her goal for the sacrifice early, and she just needs a werewolf and the moonstone.

Which we’re stealing. Right now.

“FUCK!” I shout, startling Isobel.

I almost want to scream her head off about fucking over her own child for Katherine, but I doubt she has any knowledge about the sacrifice.

I take a breath, try to gather myself. “Isobel, I don’t see any of my family tied up around here. So I’m going back to the competition. And if you threaten them again, I’ll let my bad influences turn you into vampire jerky.” The words almost come out as cold as Isobel’s.

She opens her mouth to reply, but I don’t wait. I turn to leave—

—and get yanked back.

Her hand clamps around my arm, pulling me off balance. I stumble backward as her grip tightens.

“I can’t let you go, Elena. Not yet.”

I think about using my phone to call for backup, but I don’t think Isobel would be above breaking arms. Maybe playing on emotion will help? I could explain to her what Katherine actually wants and hope she doesn’t ask too many questions.

I let out a breath, “You don’t—”

“God, you have the worst family ever, Elena. And that means a lot coming from me .” A glib voice murmurs from the shadows.

Damon steps out from behind a tree, directly behind Isobel. A bit dramatically if I might add.

Isobel freezes. Her grip loosens for half a second and that’s all Damon needs.

In a flash, Damon’s at my side. He pulls her off me and slams her against a nearby tree.

She claws at his hands wrapped around her throat, but she probably forgot he’s got that Damon has a few years on her.

“Touch her again, and I’ll make you wish you stayed dead the first time.” he growls, his voice losing all its previous sarcasm.

After she gives a weak nod, he releases his grip and takes a step back.

Isobel doesn’t move. Just glares. But Damon’s not fazed. “You’ve got one chance to walk away. Before I get creative.”

With that, Isobel takes her leave. Probably informing Katherine that their plan has gotten some holes in it, and it’s my turn to sink the entire thing.

Damon turns to me, scanning me from head to toe like he’s checking for injuries.

“Took you long enough!” I huff, throwing up my hands.

His concerned look disappears in the air, now looking offended, ‘’Well I was a bit confused when you texted me ‘SOS, meet me outside’ seconds before you came down the stairs. How did you get here so fast anyway?’’

I give him a flat look. “Damon. I can’t be kidnapped and compete for Miss Mystic Falls at the same time.”

He opens his mouth, then pauses. I see the realization hit. The color drains from his face.

“Katherine,” he says quietly.

I nod expressively, ‘’Who is trying to steal the same thing I’m currently stealing, we gotta move.’’

Thankfully, Damon gets over this reveal quickly enough, ‘’Alright, lets get that evil old bitch.’’

I move to walk, or maybe lightly jog, toward the Lockwood estate, but again I’m stopped by a force pulling me back.

Before I can react, I’m being lifted up bridal style in Damon’s arms, my head whips up to meet his gaze, ‘’What are you doing!?’’ I exclaim.

A playful grin spreads over his face, clearly enjoying my reaction, “Don’t flatter yourself, this is purely tactical. Fastest way back, less risk of you getting kidnapped again.”

His hands grip my legs tighter as we whoosh toward the back entrance.

Chapter Text

Damon and I speed-walk through the empty corridors of the Lockwood estate. From the silence and the faint echo of music, it’s obvious I’ve missed the entire dance. Every guest and contestant must already be gathered in the main hall for the coronation of Miss Mystic Falls.
I wish I could be there to support Caroline, but right now, we’ve got bigger problems.

“Hopefully she’s still in the mayor’s office,” I say, panting as I try to keep up with Damon’s inhuman pace.

“If Katherine hasn’t already ripped her head off,” he mutters, lacking emotion.

I glare at him, disgusted. “Damon, what the fuck?”

He doesn’t look at me. Just shrugs. “I’m being realistic, Elena. If Katherine wants something, she takes it. Sabrina the Teenage Witch isn’t gonna stop her.”

I fall silent. His words hit deeper than I’d like to admit.
Suddenly, I’m praying Bonnie doesn’t notice the switch and just hands over the moonstone without a fight.

We’re about to turn the corner when Damon abruptly throws an arm out in front of me.

“Wha—” I start, but his hand clamps over my mouth before the word is out. Not rough, just firm enough to shut me up.

His brows tighten as his body tenses up. His other finger is held to his lips as he seems to be listening to something happening in the hallway up ahead. 

I see his face change, his eyes turn darker and none of the usual playfulness is showing.

He leans in closer, instinctively I take a step back, my back pressing against the cold wall.

‘’Stay here.’’ His eyes move over my face as his hand slowly retreats from my mouth, only lingering for a second on my cheek, ‘’I mean it Elena, stay here.’’ 

I nod, barely breathing, and watch as he steps back

A gust of wind cools my face as he races off to whatever the hell is happening a couple doors away from me.

I wait a moment, processing what fight might be going on right now.

See, if I actually was Elena Gilbert and had no knowledge of what was happening, I would stay the fuck out of vampire business.

But since I’m not and I know that Katherine won’t kill me, I wait a couple seconds and then quietly step around the corner.

My breath hitches in my throat as my fingers linger on the door frame. Through the square windows at the top of the door, I spot four figures, two on each side of the room.

On the left, Bonnie stands frozen in terror, Katherine’s arm wrapped tight around her throat. And she doesn’t look like she’s letting go anytime soon..

Seeing her, Katherine , feels eerie. Even though this isn’t my face, I have gotten used to it staring back at me in the mirror, and now that same face is plastered on someone trying to kill my friend.

The longer I look at her, the angrier I get.
She stole my dress. My dance. And now she’s after my moonstone.
And the worst part? I would’ve killed it in that dress, because, and I hate to admit it, it looks amazing on her.

“Let her go, Katherine.”

Stefan’s voice cuts through the tension, lacking the usual calmness he usually carries with him. 

He and Damon stand opposite her, side by side. Stefan’s worse for wear—his suit torn, blood smudged across his shirt, tie missing. In his left hand, he’s holding the moonstone.
He must’ve seen through Katherine’s pathetic act and tried to help Bonnie. I can’t help the tiny smile tugging at my lips. At least someone wasn’t fooled.

“Asking nicely doesn’t work. Not even from you, Stefan.” Katherine’s grin widens as she tightens her grip. “Give me the stone, and your little witch walks away.”

Damon groans. “What do you even want with it? Make too many enemies being an evil bitch?”

Katherine cocks her head, amused. “What do you want with it? Do you even know what it does?” She laughs softly, like this is all a game.

My stomach drops. Shit.
I hadn’t expected her to show up now . A little white lie about the stone wouldn’t have hurt anyone. But if she tells the truth…

“The newest vampire extermination device the council’s cooking up,” Damon scoffs. “If you were thinking about joining, someone with your face already got the gig.”

He might be joking, but there’s no humor in his eyes. Just a tight-lipped scowl on his face instead of the usual suave smirk.

Katherine chuckles. “I have to admit, I played your new pet pretty well. Too bad only Stefan figured it out. We could’ve had so much fun.”

I nearly gag. A hand flies to my mouth before the sound escapes.

She sighs dramatically. “This little reunion has been sweet, but it’s time to hand over the stone.” Her gaze flicks toward Bonnie. “Unless, of course, you don’t care about her . I can always get Elena instead. She’s right outside anyway.”

“Oh, shit—”

Pain explodes in the back of my skull before I can finish the thought.
My head snaps back. I stagger, air knocked from my lungs, as something grabs me and yanks me away from the door.

A sharp sting shoots through my shoulder. I try to pull away, but it’s like slamming into a brick wall.

I cough, gasping for air, eyes blinking rapidly to adjust.

Stefan and Damon are both staring at me, shocked. Concerned. I manage to glance to my right. Bonnie, thank God, is sprawled out a little down the hallway, but still seems to be breathing.

Note to self: find better hiding places .

My gaze flicks between the Salvatores, stopping when Damon’s face hardens with determination.

Before I can speak, I’m yanked back again.
We’ve switched places, me now inside, Damon now in the hallway.

A low chuckle from behind. “Ah, ah, ah, Damon. Not so fast. Let’s do this the civilized way.”

I groan. “Can we just not do this at all?” I’m trying not to vomit after getting vampire-speed-tossed for the tenth time today. Although to be honest, Katherine desives getting thrown up upon.

The bitch hums, “Surprisingly, I agree. So just hand it over, Stefan. Before I change my mind and decide you’d be better off single.”

God, what a slut . And I say that as a feminist.

Stefan steps forward, hand stretched, moonstone clenched in his fist. His eyes stay locked on Katherine, like he’s feeding a lion and hoping it doesn’t take his arm off.

I won’t stop him. Katherine needs me alive. But “alive” doesn’t mean “in one piece.” And I’d like to keep my limbs intact, thanks.

Suddenly, a hard shove sends me forward. Instead of hitting the floor, I crash into Stefan’s chest. His arms wrap around me, steady, and one hand cups the back of my head.

“There. That wasn’t so hard,” Katherine says, voice smug. “Now, I’ll be off. Pretending to be my boring, sad little doppelgänger is exhausting.” Her words trail off as a gust of wind rushes past.

I pull back from Stefan, relieved. She’s gone. Probably off to make out with her undead dog boyfriend.

‘’Elena, are you alright?’’ Stefan softly speaks, his hands lingering on both of my arms.

I frown as I cast another look at his disheveled state, his wounds are my fault.

God, if I just thought something through for once.

I’d see why Katherine would’ve shown up earlier.

I’d see what Isobel was trying to do sooner.

Bonnie and Stefan wouldn’t have gotten hurt over a stupid lie I told.

Because I lie all the time … and if they ever found out who I really was… who would I have left?

“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks. I bite my cheek hard. Now is not the time to cry.

“You better be.”

Damon’s voice booms from behind us. He throws his hands up, eyes wide.                         

“Do you know what ‘stay here’ means? Because it doesn’t mean ‘follow me and almost die!’”

I raise a brow, suddenly remembering how fun it is to annoy Damon,“In my defense, two out of three vampires didn’t even notice me.” I nod, very sure of myself.

He groans, throwing his head back dramatically. I snort.

Then he stomps over, pulls me out of Stefan’s arms, and grips my shoulders.              

“You’re impossible, Elena,” he breathes, staring down at me.

Suddenly, he pulls me in, arms wrapping tight around me. I lean into him, his head resting in the crook of my neck.

“I’m glad you’re okay. Don’t do that again.”                                                                               

I nod into his chest. His hold is warm and steady. Much better than Katherine’s iron claws.

‘’Oh shit, Bonnie.’’ I exclaim, pulling back when I remember that my friend is still knocked out on the floor. I feel Damon’s grip harden slightly before letting out a breath and letting go.

My eyes linger on him before I do a slightly awkward jog to the doorframe, bending down to examine Bonnie. Her chest is still rising and falling at what I assume to be a normal tempo, I slowly poke my finger at her shoulder.

“Bonnie? You good?” I whisper, not wanting to, I don’t know, traumatize her brain or something.

No response.

I turn my head when I notice another figure bending down next to me. Stefan’s eyes gloss over Bonnie’s body, probably listening for her heartbeat with his creepy, but useful, vampire hearing.

‘’Is she alright?’’ I question, still whispering.

He nods, a small smile appearing on his lips, “She’ll be fine. Maybe a mild concussion, but I’m sure her grandmother has something for that.” He whispers back.

I shoot him a smile, ‘’We should probably get her home.’’

Stefan nods, offering me a hand to stand up. After which he scoops Bonnie from the ground into his arms, thank god for the commotion of Miss Mystic Falls, otherwise this would be really weird to explain.

We turn to walk out to the hallway, but Damon clears his throat obnoxiously loud behind us. I glance behind me,“Yes, Damon, you can come too. But her grandma still hates you. So don’t blame me if she lights you on fire or something.” I sigh, putting my hand on my hip.

Sheila would fry his daylight ring if she knew Bonnie got hurt in the vicinity of Damon.

He gives me a look, mimicking my stance with a hand on his hip. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I raise a brow, ‘’Isobel?’’ Maybe she couldn’t resist visiting her ex-husband and is still hanging around.

He shakes his head.

‘’John?’’ Stefan stopped trailing him, Katherine could’ve attacked him when she left. Not that I would care that much.

Another shake.

I roll my eyes. “Do you want an apology or something?”

“Just tell us , Damon,” Stefan mutters, clearly over it.

Damon taps his ear. “They’re announcing Miss Mystic Falls. Guess who’s missing from the stage?”

I groan. “I’m not winning. And now an evil, ugly version of me screwed up the dance. I’ve got no shot.”

“You could at least support Caroline,” Stefan says gently from beside me. “She’s probably worried sick about you and Bonnie.”

“Ugh,” I grumble and turn to him. “I hate when you say the thing I should do but don’t want to.”

He shifts Bonnie’s weight to give me a kiss on my forehead. “But you’ll do it anyway. Because you’re a good person. I’ll be right back after I get her home.”

“I’ll stay here,” Damon says, smirking. “Just in case our ex wants round two.”

Stefan hesitates, eyeing him. Then relents. “Alright. Be careful.”

Damon winks. “You too, brother.”

Damon and I walk into the main hall, which is littered with people chattering about the flaws of a couple of teenage girls. I try to ignore most of it, but a few comments manage to slip through.

“Those Fell girls have two left feet,” a man from the vampire council mutters to his wife.

“I told you letting in girls from outside the founding families was a bad idea. She has no class,” a stuck-up-looking woman whispers to her friends.

“Elena’s really had a rough time. Looks like she’s put on a few pounds,” a group of girls from my school laugh among themselves.

I whip my head around toward them. “WHAT DID—”

Damon yanks me back by the arm. “They’re not talking about you .”

“Oh. Right,” I mutter, still a bit offended. Ahead of us, all the contestants are already lined up on the main stage. Man, it’s going to be so awkward walking up there after missing almost the entire event.

“Thank you so much for reminding me to come here. I’m really enjoying all the stares and judgment.”

He shrugs, shooting me a sly smile. “Don’t be a sore loser, Elena. It doesn’t suit you.”

I groan and roll my eyes. “You suck, Damon.”

A big smirk spreads across his lips. “I really, really do.”

I respond with a dramatic gagging sound and shoot him a look like he’s a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe. From the lingering smirk on his face, I get the feeling he might actually like it when I look at him like that.

“Elena!”

I’m yanked backward by some force, and I instinctively throw my hands up in fight mode, fully expecting Katherine to really be back for round two.

“Elena, put your fucking arms down!”

Caroline’s familiar, exasperated voice cuts through my panic.

I turn around to see her annoyed face staring back at me.

Before I can even open my mouth to explain, she grabs my wrist and starts dragging me toward the stage.

“I’ve heard most of it, no need to explain. Your evil twin showed up, stole your dress, knocked out Bonnie, almost killed you, and took the vampire-killing stone,” she rattles off, shoving clueless people out of the way.

I nod along. “Yeah, so... why aren’t you more freaked out about that?”

She suddenly stops, making me bump into her back. She turns slowly and grabs my shoulder.

“Because right now , I have to win Miss Mystic Falls, and you have to win second place. No offense, but Katherine was terrible at the whole dance thing.” She gives me a light shake. “It’s what Bonnie would’ve wanted.”

I seriously doubt that’s what Bonnie would’ve wanted, but honestly, I’m more scared of Caroline than I was of Katherine, so I nod quickly in agreement.

With that, she pulls me up onto the stage. I do my best to ignore the nasty stare from Mrs. Lockwood and the dagger eyes of the other contestants. I just know Katherine bullied the crap out of everyone while pretending to be me.

Mr. Lockwood steps up beside us, receiving a nod from his wife to get things moving.

“Before I crown the winner,” he begins, “I’d like to personally thank all these young ladies for their efforts to better our community.” He gestures toward us. (Let’s be real, Caroline is the only one here who actually fits that description.)

The room offers polite applause, even from the people whose nasty comments are still echoing in my head.

“So without further ado, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls.” He pauses, scanning the contestants like he’s about to deliver a life-altering twist.

Jezus , just get on with it. Miss Mystic Falls is clearly—

“Miss Elena Gilbert!”

My mouth falls open, only to snap shut when someone pinches my arm. I look wide-eyed at Caroline beside me.

“At least smile for the pictures, come on,” she hisses.

I force a tight smile as Mr. Lockwood places the sash over my shoulder. My eyes dart back to Caroline’s tight-lipped face, she knows I had nothing to do with this right? It’s just another ploy from Katherine to stir things up. She won’t hold it against me, will she?

“Let’s give it up for our new Miss Mystic Falls!”

Chapter Text

‘’Elena, I love you, but I think Jeremy might have slipped some weed in your coffee.’’ Jenna says, cringing as she looks over at Alaric beside her.

I exhale slowly, fighting the urge to snap. “Jenna, I’m telling you the truth. Why do you think I asked Alaric to be here?”

She arches a brow. ‘’ Probably because he’s too nice to say that you sound cray cray , I mean come on. I think I would’ve noticed if your best friends, who I knew their whole life, were a witch and a vampire.’’

My head drops into my hands. “You’re not exactly born a vampire, Jenna…” I shoot a pointed glare at Alaric, suggesting that he might have a go at it.

“Jenna,” he starts, his tone way too close to the one he uses when I flunk a history test, “Elena’s right. I know this sounds impossible, because it is. But it’s also true. Witches, vampires, all of it. And I get that you’re upset we didn’t tell you sooner, but most people are safer not knowing.”

God, I should’ve just asked Stefan to vamp out and get this over with. Fifteen minutes of arguing, and Jenna still thinks I’m crazy.

Jenna’s face twists as she turns back to me. “So all this time… you’ve been dealing with psychotic vampires, kidnappings, car crashes, getting shot at, and I had no idea?” Her voice cracks. Not exactly the reaction I was expecting.

A little insulting that she buys it from Alaric in one breath, but fine. Whatever works.

She grabs my hands across the table, squeezing tight. “I’m so sorry, Elena. You should’ve told me sooner. You’re just a kid, I should’ve been there to help.” Her eyes begin to watery as she finishes speaking.

I shake my head. “It’s not your fault, Jenna. You couldn’t have known.” I squeeze her hand back, but the pout she gives me says she’s not letting herself off the hook.

“To be fair, even if you had known, what were you going to do? Go all Buffy on them? You’ve got noodle arms.” I tease.

She gasps. “Excuse you! I could totally Buffy them. I took a self-defense class last year.”

Alaric rests a hand gently on her shoulder. “I love the enthusiasm, Jenna, but maybe we cover the basics of the supernatural before we start vampire hunting?” He smiles, a little wry.

Her face sobers. “Yeah… you’re right.” She sighs. “Still, I’m glad you told me. Though, honestly, you should’ve told me sooner.”

I nod my head, humming, then shoot a pair of raised eyebrows over to Alaric. Unfortunately he seems to not get the hint. ‘’Alright, I’ll do the other part too then I guess’’ I mumble.

Jenna and Alaric's gaze fall on me.

‘’Alaric’s ‘missing’ wife is not exactly missing, she’s first of all not missing. Or alive for that matter.’’

Jenna raises a brow, while Alaric cringes at my explanation next to her.

“She’s a vampire,” I continue, “who also happens to be my biological mother.” I raise a hand when Jenna’s mouth opens. “Mom and Dad told me before they died.”, she nods in relief, happy that I don’t have any teen angst about biological parentage.

“Oh, and she’s also super evil, working with an even more evil vampire who looks exactly like me.”

Jenna’s mouth drops open. She glances between me and Alaric, then closes her eyes and exhales. “Alright.”

‘’Alright?’’ Alaric turns to her, ‘’You don’t need a moment? Aren’t you angry or confused?’’

She scoffs, ‘’Confused definitely . But I’ve processed it. I accept it.”

I lean over the table, narrowing my eyes. “You’re seriously not mad about your boyfriend’s undead ex showing up in town?’’ Because I definitely had some feelings when I saw that bitch Katherine yesterday.

She shakes her head. “I’m an adult. I’m handling this like an adult.” A smile creeps across her lips.

Good for you, Jenna. Good for you.

Alaric clears his throat. “There’s… one more thing.”

I tilt my head. “Which is…?”

‘’Yesterday, Isobel found me.’’ He almost coughs out, as I look him over, he looks a tad dishevelled. His ex-wife hanging around can’t be good for his mental health. 

His eyes focus on mine, ‘’She wanted me to tell you that she wants to meet you.’’ he reluctantly breathes out. 

I scoff, ‘’We’ve already met, not pleasant at all .’’

He nods in response, ‘’She didn’t specify a time or place, so I don’t know what she wants from you. But she did suggest some gruesome things will happen if you don’t meet her.’’

I shrug. “I’ll find out soon enough. To be safe, I’ll put Stefan and Damon on watch—”

Slam!

My head spins around to meet Jeremy, almost breaking our front door while storming inside in his dark, emo hoody.

I push myself up from the chair, ‘’Where the fuck have you been? Do you have any idea how awkward this conversation has been? I get that you want to spend time with Anna but ignoring my phone calls is still a dick move.’’ I grunt.

He turns his head to me, revealing his puffy red eyes, ‘’They found Vicky’s body.’’ His raspy voice chokes out.

“So, we all know last year’s float sucked. Which is why we’re not doing this again.” Caroline jabs a finger at her laptop screen, where a float, reminiscent of  a melting birthday cake appears. The girls on it look like extras from an Amish documentary.

I rest my head on my hand, nodding half-heartedly. This meeting’s been dragging on for three hours. Caroline has the cheer squad working on decorations while most of the football team—minus Matt—handles the grunt work of building the base. been assigned to the hard manual labor of building the base of the float. I’m almost jealous of Bonnie, who got to skip it due to her Katherine induced concussion. Although Caroline almost moved the meeting to Bonnie’s bedroom when we visited her, but Sheila quickly talked her out of it.

Normally, I’d be making jokes about Caroline’s future career as a drill sergeant, but given… recent events, I just nod along.

One being that I’m Miss Mystic Falls instead of her. I didn’t even deserve the crown, and Caroline knows it.

The other being that she killed Vicki Donovan. And now Vicki’s body has been found by Caroline’s own mom.

“Sammy! I said paper-mâché flowers, not… whatever this is!” Caroline screeches at a poor cheerleader whose creation does, admittedly, resemble a sad pile of colorful turds. Sammy flees the scene, clutching it like roadkill.

I put my hand over Caroline’s, causing her annoyed eyes to point directly in my soul. ‘’I get that I might not be your favorite person ever right now, but don’t you want to talk about, you know.. that ?’’ I smile tightly. I’m not a fan of hard conversations but she needs to talk about Vicky’s death. I doubt she’s even told Bonnie about it.

A sharp, bewildered smile spreads across her face. “Talk about what? That I lie to Matt’s face every time he cries about his dead fucking sister? That I had to act stupid when my mom told me Vicky Donovan died of an overdosis?’’ She lets out a cold scoff.

I swallow. “Care, I can’t imagine how hard that is, but maybe if you just—”

“You’re right, Elena. You can’t imagine. So let me focus on this parade and make it so good that everyone forgets about… that.” She yanks her hand back and storms into the school building, leaving me on the bench alone. A huddle of cheerleaders follows her inside like a hurdle of sheep.

“You really shouldn’t let your friends talk to you like that.”

The voice is cold, familiar. My stomach drops. God, I didn't think the bitch would find me this soon. I groan as I look over my shoulder, right into the icy eyes of the world’s worst vampire mom.

“Oh, fantastic,” I mutter. “Trying the motherly advice act again? Spoiler: it doesn’t suit you.”

Isobel doesn’t answer. She just strolls past me and drops into the seat across the table, smirking like a cat with a trapped bird.

“Did you get my message?”

I hum, leaning back. “Loud and clear. ‘Talk to me or I snack on your classmates.’ ‘’ God forbid Isobel does anything without threatening everything with a pulse.

She tilts her head. “So? Ready to talk, or should I start with your friends? I’ve done my homework.”

I roll my eyes so hard it almost hurts. “Yeah, no need for the villain monologue. Let’s talk.”

Leaning lazily over the table, I ask, “So what does Katherine want now?”

Hopefully she doesn’t want to know why I tried to steal the moonstone before her. I doubt the ‘’I found it in a diary’’ trick works on her.

Her brows twitch upward—practically a gasp, by Isobel standards. “What makes you so sure I’m here for Katherine?”

‘’What else? Want to catch up? Play mother again?’’ I chuckle.

Her eyes narrow as she leans forward, ‘’I know it might be hard to believe, but I’m worried about you Elena.’’

I almost want to laugh again, but she could be speaking the truth. How much did Isobel know exactly? Has Katherine told her about the sacrifice?

‘’Worried about what?’’ I ask, without the usual spite. 

She furrows her eyebrows, ‘’I don’t want you going down the same path as me.’’ 

A sigh escapes me, I almost thought we were actually going to talk about something important. But the almost doll-like emotion plastered on her face tells me that whatever she’s about to say came straight from Katherine’s mouth.

Unfortunately I have no other choice but to play along, ‘’Why not? Would it be so bad if I turned too? Out of all people I’d assume you’d get it.’’ I half-smile.

She slowly shakes her head, ‘’I was an adult Elena, you’re a child. You can choose what you want to do when you’re eighteen. Which means right now, I want you to break up with Stefan.’’

My brows shoot up before laughter bursts out of me. First at the absurdity of her pulling the “when you’re eighteen” card, second because—of course—Katherine Pierce can’t keep her damn claws out of my relationship.

‘’I don’t know if I’ve made it clear, but you’re not my fucking mother, not in the way that counts. What makes you think you have any say in my love life of all things?’’

She nods, all fake emotion has drained from her face, ‘’You’re right that I haven’t been involved, and I understand that you don’t see me as your mother. But I am, and if you don’t stay away from Stefan I’ll go after your friends and family. Your best friends might be able to defend themselves, but I doubt Matt, Jeremy or Jenna would have the same luck.’’

My jaw clenches. I want to tell her I’ve got at least four vampires on speed dial who could end her in seconds—five if Caroline’s really pissed—but from the smug calm on her face, I know she’d never believe sweet Elena Gilbert would want her own birth mother dead. Better keep that information to myself.

So instead, I bite my tongue. And when she struts away, all I let myself do is flip her off.

Chapter Text

“And then she threatened to kill everyone I care about if I keep seeing Stefan.” I sigh, leaning back on my desk.

God, I really hope no student decides to wander in with a history question for Alaric right now. They’d walk straight into the weirdest group meeting ever.

Beside me, Stefan slips his hand over mine. I manage a half-hearted smile, but his worried frown tells me he’s just as rattled.

Jenna hums thoughtfully. “Which probably came from your evil twin, Katherine, since she had the hots for him a century ago?”
Almost nailed it, Jenna.

Before I can answer, the classroom door creaks open.

“Planning to include the whole family in our top-secret vampire meetings?” Damon strolls in with a grin, heading for the desk to my right. “We might have to start charging a fee.”

I flash him a sarcastic smile. “Well, when an evil vampire threatens my family, it seemed smart to loop them in. You’d know a thing or two about that, wouldn’t you?”

He shrugs innocently. “Anyway—what’s the plan for taking down Ric’s evil vampire ex?”

“We’re not killing her, Damon,” Alaric snaps. His jaw tightens. He was married to Isobel for years… even if she did fake her death and only reappeared when it suited her latest scheme.

“Why not?” Damon shoots back. “You planning to ask her nicely not to suck half of Mystic Falls dry?”

Stefan groans. “She’s Elena’s birth mother. I know you struggle with empathy, but try to think about someone other than yourself for once.”

Damon scoffs, leaning casually against the desk with a mock-serious look.
“Oh, come on, Stefan. Let’s not cue the violins. Mommy Dearest abandoned Elena on day one. Now she’s back, threatening her friends? Forgive me if I’m not thrilled about the reunion.”

I can’t help chuckling. Honestly, he summed up my feelings about Isobel perfectly. Still, would killing her really solve anything?

Damon grins at me, assuming my chuckle means I’m on his team. On my left, Stefan gives me a pensive look.

Sometimes I’m worried his frown lines won’t go away after all the brooding.

I raise both hands. “I’m not saying we should kill her. But if she happened to fall into a vat of vervain, I wouldn’t lose sleep.”

Damon leans closer, eyes glinting. “I could arrange that.”

“And what happens when Katherine finds out we killed her messenger?” I counter. “Isobel isn’t the real problem, Katherine is.”

“You want to kill Katherine?” Stefan asks carefully.

I arch a brow. “You don’t?”

He shakes his head. “Of course I do. But she’s not exactly easy prey. If she catches wind of us plotting, it’ll end badly.”

Understatement of the year

‘’Then we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t find out.’’ I softly smirk.

I feel a presence to my right shift closer, as I turn, I see Damon leaning in with a smirk ten times bigger than I could ever muster up. “Oh, Elena Gilbert plotting murder? I think my presence is finally rubbing off on you.’’

I grimace, ‘’Gross.’’

He slings his arm over my shoulder, ‘’Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about team ‘Let’s kill Katherine!’ and I’d hate to agree with Stefan, but have you thought about how we would go about killing the bitch?’’

Every fucking day since I’ve gotten trapped in this body, and even before that. Man she’s a good villain on the show but dealing with her in real life has made me shit my pants for months. Especially when hormones got the better of me and I started dating Stefan (still no regrets, my hormones were sooo right). 

I’ve thought about so many possibilities, a simple stake-through-heart approach would leave me in the same situation as the show. And I’d rather not be used as a freaky voodoo-doll. A sneak attack with vervain could go either way, and after everything I’ve been through, I’m not going through with half-assed plans anymore. Finally, I’ve also thought about searching out Elijah earlier and just having him deal with it. It’s a tempting thought, but one that could end up screwing everything up even more. 

I look over the room, Jenna still seems unsure of everything we’re saying, not that I can blame her for that. Alaric seems less tense than when we were discussing killing his crazy ex-wife, which I still find a little weird. “For now, I’ll play by Katherine’s rules. No sense poking the bear. As for killing her, I want to ask—”

RING

Alaric rises from his chair. “I’ve got class. We’ll have to pick this up later.”

We all scatter before any early-bird student wanders in and forces us to compel them.

“How are you feeling?” I ask, dragging a desk chair up beside Bonnie’s bed.

She sighs. “Like I just had my head smashed into the floor by your evil doppelgänger.”

From the windowsill, Caroline huffs. “Correction: your super-evil, pageant-stealing bitch of a doppelgänger.”
Well, at least she’s directing her rage at the right person.

Bonnie pushes herself upright. Luckily, thanks to her grandma, the worst Katherine left her with is a killer headache. “So what’s the plan? Because I can’t keep worrying every time I see you that it’s actually Katherine trying to murder me again.”

I raise a brow in offence. “I’m a little hurt you can’t tell the difference. I’m obviously way hotter.”

Bonnie cracks a smile and nods. Caroline just shoots me a look.
Bitch.

I glare back, then straighten in my chair. “Anyway, yes—we do have a plan. Step one: I follow my not-so-nice vampire mom’s rules and stay away from Stefan. Which means that, uh…” I rub the back of my neck, avoiding Caroline’s eyes.

“I’ll have to drop out of the Miss Mystic Falls float.” I mumble.

“WHAT?!”

Caroline’s vampire-loud shriek nearly tips me out of the chair.

“It’s not my fault, Care!” I yelp.

“WE CAN’T HAVE A FLOAT WITHOUT MISS MYSTIC FALLS, ELENA! YOU’RE THE CENTERPIECE!”

“IS THE FLOAT MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR FRIENDS NOT BEING MURDERED?!”

“MY SOCIAL LIFE IS BEING MURDERED, ELENA!”

Before I can snap back, a pillow slams into my face so hard my chair wobbles.

Blinking through the feathers, I see that Caroline met a similar fate. She glares while ripping feathers out of her hair.

“Hehehe,” I giggle.

Caroline shoots me a deadly look. But then turns to Bonnie, the culprit of our harsh attack.

‘’You’re both turning my headache into a permanent migraine, please stop.’’ She lectures while magicking the pillows back to her bed.

She turns to Caroline, ‘’Care, I understand that Katherine has been screwing up the things you’ve been working hard for. But Elena’s family and friends have been threatened, can you imagine how she feels?’’

Caroline turns almost white for a moment, her eyes meet mine for a moment, before she hardly pulls her head away, ‘’Yeah, I’m sorry Elena.’’ she mumbles.

I nod, humbly accepting her apology.

‘’And Elena.’’ Bonnie sternly turns toward me.

Ah, shit.

‘’Dropping out would really hurt Caroline’s feelings, you know how hard she’s been working on the float preparations.’’

I sigh, ‘’Yeah, I don’t want to drop out, but what else can I do?’’

“You could just go with someone else,” Bonnie suggests. “I doubt Stefan would mind, given the circumstances.”

Caroline furiously nods her head, “Exactly. No offence to Stefan, but the guys are just arm candy. It’s all about the girls.”

I cringe. “I don’t know… who would I even ask?”

“Tyler? Or one of the football guys?” Bonnie shrugs.

I pull a face like I’m about to puke. Being trapped on a float with Mr. Can’t-Keep-His-Hands-to-Himself? Hard pass.

“Okay, not Tyler,” Bonnie concedes. “But there are plenty of decent guys around.”

“Like?” I scoff, sinking into the chair.’

Honestly, I’m already dating the hottest guy in town. Maybe if Elijah were an option… well, I’m not a cheater, but damn.

‘“Like Damon?” Caroline suggests carefully.

Bonnie and I whip our heads toward her.

“WHAT?!” I shout, slightly regretting it as Bonnie groans at the noise.

“Since when aren’t you Damon Salvatore’s number one hater? He turned you against your will and almost killed you!”

Caroline shrugs, sheepish. “I still hate him. But I can’t exactly call him ugly. And that’s all we need right now, arm candy.”

I stare at her, bewildered. “Bonnie, how hard did you throw that fucking pillow?”

“Ugh!” Caroline waves her hands. “Look, I just want this float to go well. Damon would work. Please, Elena, just do it for me.”

I let out a long sigh. “Fine, I’ll ask him. But if I do this, you have to drop the guilt-trips about me winning Miss Mystic Falls.” I hold out my hand.

She hesitates, then shakes it firmly. “Deal.”

I collapse onto the couch after a long day of totally serious vampire-killing research—aka rewatching Twilight with Care and Bonnie.

Jeremy’s still not home. He left early this morning, and trust me, it wasn’t out of sudden dedication to schoolwork. Anna even texted me asking if I’d seen him, so he’s not sneaking off to play house with his vampire girlfriend. At least that I could respect. No, I’m betting he spent the day pestering Sheriff Forbes about Vicky’s death.

I can’t really blame him. He cared about her. Still, guilt prickles at me for keeping the truth from him and from Matt, too. They deserve answers. But I can’t throw Caroline under the bus.

And she’s doing so well. For a newbie vampire, she’s holding onto her human life, still dating Matt, even if their relationship has stalled at hand-holding. What’s the harm in letting Jeremy believe some random vampire killed Vicky? If he pushes too hard, I can always pin it on one of the tomb vampires.

I reach for the remote just as the door creaks open. I peek over the back of the couch, and my mood nosedives. John. Perfect.

Before I can unleash my mental swear-list, Jeremy trails in right behind him.

“What were you two up to?” I ask, my disgust aimed squarely at John’s smug face.

John’s lips twitch into a tight smile. “Just a little uncle-nephew bonding.”

I arch a brow. “Bonding that made you forget Jeremy still has school?”

His eyes harden. “Bit hypocritical, isn’t it? From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty distracted from school yourself. Unless, of course, you’ve been using your vampire boyfriend to skip class?”

I scoff. “Definitely not.”

That’s what Damon and Caroline are for. Honestly, I’d rather run into Klaus’s arms than run laps in PE.

I shift my gaze to Jeremy. He looks awful, red, puffy eyes, same clothes as yesterday. “Seriously, what were you doing with him?”

Jeremy’s voice cracks as he blurts, “Did you know Vicky was murdered by a vampire?” His tone’s a mix of anger and denial. He’s begging me to confirm it.

“No,” I lie smoothly. “But would it really surprise you? This town’s crawling with them.”

He steps closer. “Then do you know which one it was?”

“Uh, I don’t—”

“Elena, please!” His eyes are wild, desperate.

I exhale slowly. “I know it wasn’t Stefan. But I can ask him and Damon if they’ve heard anything.”

I wanted to talk about it today but Bonnie still doesn’t know about Care’s little slip-up.

Jeremy swallows, gaze locked on me until he finally sighs. “Thanks.” He mutters it before heading upstairs.

My eyes snap back to the man still in the room. “Nice bonding. You’ve really messed him up, good job.”

John chuckles. “I think your little supernatural club beat me to it. Since you stick your nose in everything. I'm surprised you didn’t know about that girl sooner.”

I narrow my eyes. “And I’m surprised you’re working with the bitch who threatened to kill everyone I love, including Jeremy.”

That wipes the smirk off his face. His mask cracks, shock flickering across his features. Not the smartest move to drop that little bomb. But watching his smugness collapse? Totally worth it.

“How do you know that?” he demands.

I rise from the couch, smoothing my tone into a sugar-sweet smile. “Like you said, I stick my nose in everything.”

Then I turn on my heel and head upstairs.