Disclaimer: I own nothing except my Original Character, Alix. Anything from TVD or Supernatural belongs to their retrospective owners, I just borrowed them for a bit.

Author Note: When I originally wrote and published this story, it was from a first-person aspect. However, I've written it now from third person view and wanted to know if you, my lovely readers, enjoyed it more or hated it. Feel free to message me (don't be hateful), and let me know what you think. If you all don't like it, I will correct my error.

"Stay awake with me

You know I can't just let you be

Stay awake with me

Take your hand and come and find me"

London Grammar "Stay Awake"

The brunette tossed and turned continuously on the bed; while it was apparent she was sleeping, her mind, however, was a different story; running a million miles a minute with various images. A child-like whimper escaped her lips before she abruptly sat up, wide awake, bleary-eyed and gasping breathlessly. Clutching a hand to her rapidly beating chest, Alix was shocked to feel the moisture that coated the skin beneath her palm. As her breathing and heart rate returned to their normal pattern, she ran a hand down her face, finding it too was slick with perspiration.

Blowing out a heavy breath, Alix didn't bother questioning as to why she awoke in such a distressing state; she was well aware of the answer.

For the better part of a year, Alix had grown accustomed to waking up in this manner; a direct result of this stupid dream. She'd experienced having a repeat dream before, but when one has the same dream every night for a year, that's when Alix became concerned. She wouldn't deny that she enjoyed the reprieve from the usual horrors that would haunt her dreams, but she found herself longing for their return; at least with them, there was a rational reason behind it.

After a solid week straight of the same dream, Alix decided to keep a journal, hoping that by keeping a detailed account, she would have a better chance at uncovering the mystery behind the dream and why it kept occurring. Unfortunately, all it proceeded to do was leave her with more questions that answers.

The setting for this incessant nightmare was a large dance hall held within a castle of some sort; the room packed with people who watched her as if they knew her, but she didn't recognize any of them. While she didn't recognize them, it unsettled Alix when she felt this eerie sense of familiarity wafted over her whenever she would glance at them.

There were dozens of candles and a roaring fireplace that illuminated the large room; the flickering flames casting an alluring light upon the lavishly decorated gowns the women wore; the rich colors captivating the attention of any man who dared glance their way.

It was then that the dream took an interesting route. The people who were dancing would suddenly part as if Moses had arrived with his staff and the people were the Red Sea. Then a mysterious stranger would walk through the small space created by the party goers, his heated stare pinning Alix in place as his determined steps lead him straight to her. Whoever he was, he was extremely attractive; from the way his wavy brown cascaded with grace to his shoulders, adding definition to his regal features; to his hypnotic brown eyes that seemed to sear the soul of any who caught his gaze.

Alix didn't understand why she felt pulled to this person, but she couldn't so easily dismiss it either, nor could she dismiss the nagging feeling that she'd seen him someplace before, somewhere outside of her mind, but she just couldn't put her finger on where.

Tossing aside the sweat-soaked sheet, Alix shook her head to clear away the lingering drowsiness as she scooted towards the edge of the bed. She planted her feet steadily upon the carpet, the lush fabric cushioning the soles of her feet as she stretched her tired, achy muscles. Turning her head, she glanced towards the alarm clock that rested upon the dark mahogany nightstand next to the bed.

4:15 A.M.

Those insignificant red numbers seemed to mock her, taunt her as Alix knew that the going back to bed option was no longer on the table. Sticking her tongue out at the clock like a scolded child, she let her arms slump heavily against the mattress.

'This was not how I envisioned starting my vacation'. Alix thought glumly to herself, running a hand through her hair to tame the wild mane she was sure it had turned into at some point during the night. Alix was accustomed to an odd sleeping schedule, more times than naught functioning on little to no sleep. She didn't enjoy it, but it came with the job; though she longed for the day when sleep schedules were a thing of the past.

Pushing herself up off the bed, she padded softly towards the large antique lounge chair to pick up the bathrobe she'd carelessly tossed hours earlier on her way to bed. Slipping on the soft material, Alix walked to the door, slowly turning the knob with an expert care so as not to inadvertently disturb the supernatural beings residing in the house. After what seemed like forever, the door was finally open, allowing Alix to cautiously step out into the dimly lit hallway. Taking soft, precise steps, she descended the stairs.

Unfortunately for Alix, it didn't matter how quiet she tried to be. With the house being as old as its owners, every step she took, the polished wood loudly protested under her weight, making her mutter a colorful array of curses that would make a sailor blush. Stopping for a moment, Alix realized that there were only a few steps left, making it rather pointless to continue the charade. After making a mental reminder to speak with Damon about hiring someone to take a look at them, she took the remaining steps all at once.

Once clear of the stairs, Alix turned and entered the large open sitting room. A frown graced her features upon seeing the fire from last night still roaring vivaciously with life, yet the room lacked any visible evidence that anyone had occupied the room in the last couple hours.

'They keep this up and their stupidity is going to cost them their beautiful house.' Alix thought as she crossed the length of the room, her path leading straight to the table camouflaged by the leather couch. Instinctively she reached for the glass bottle that housed her preferred poison; however, she paused when she spotted the familiar silver flask. Alix grinned, biting her lip as she couldn't hide her giddiness over finding this little treasure; its contents were from Damon's very secret collection.

Filling a glass with a finger's worth of that heavily coveted liquid, she lifted the glass to her nose for a smell. With a deep inhale of the amber liquid, the memories returned, reminding her of fond times. As Alix opened her eyes, she realized she was no longer alone.

"Surely your mother taught you better than to try and sneak up on a lady, Damon Salvatore." Alix chastised with a smirk. Turning her head, she didn't fight the smirk from developing into a full-blown grin seeing her best friend dumbfounded at being discovered.

"How in the hell do you do that?" He sputtered, having recovered from his initial shock, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You're serious?" She snorted. "You're telling me that during the course of our brilliant friendship, you don't remember that I'm able to sense you?" Alix huffed, feeling slightly offended that he could easily forget such a thing.

"Please, princess, I know you've been able to do that party trick for the better part of a century; it's the how part I'm still trying to figure out." Damon elaborated, swiftly moving to invade Alix's personal space. "Be a dear and shed some light on the subject?"

"A magician never reveals their secret," Alix replied, taking a step back. "I honestly don't know how it works; I've settled on the theory it's one of the many inexplicable things I've inherited from daddy dearest." She shrugged, taking a sip from her glass. She wasn't able to fully relish in the bourbon's slow burn with Damon's piercing blue orbs staring at her. She raised a questioning brow back at him.

"A little early to be hitting the bottle, don't you think?" He quipped while he fixed himself a drink. A low growl emanated from him as he found his precious silver flask nearly empty.

"Wouldn't that be the pot calling the proverbial kettle black, my darling?" She shot back, her eyes motioning to the glass in his hand.

"You know, most people tend to carry coffee in their kitchen; perhaps if you did the same, your precious bourbon would be safe." Alix advised, sticking her tongue out for good measure before turning away to sit on the couch. Claiming the far end, she curled her knees up against her chest.

Alix felt a little jilted, this was the first real conversation between the two of them that didn't revolve around the subject of Katherine since her arrival 24 hours ago. It had been nearly 100 years since she had set foot in Mystic Falls, and while the town had evolved with the changing times, it still held that old world feeling she'd grown to love.

When Damon called for her help, she didn't hesitate to give it. She had become tired and weary from the constant demonic attacks and needed something to distract her thoughts from the looming Apocalypse. Alix wasn't the least bit ashamed to admit she had been patiently waiting for the opportunity to take down Katherine.

Damon flashed to stand in front of the fireplace, leaning his weight against it while he stared intently into the crackling flames, the shadows giving light to this perturbed features. Alix knew he was never going to admit it, but Katherine's sudden reappearance had him on edge. At one point in time, he was confident in his ability to predict what Katherine was thinking, how her mind worked; but after recent events, he didn't know what to think.

Alix watched with concerned eyes as Damon quickly drained his drink on a single gulp before tossing the empty glass aggressively into the flames. He moved away from the fireplace, swiftly claiming the empty seat next to her. He leaned over, nuzzling his head against her shoulder like a child would seek comfort from their mother.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alix whispered. She wasn't sure why she had even said, it just sort of slipped out, like a force of habit. She knew Damon well enough to know he wouldn't talk about it; he'd rather imbibe copious amounts of bourbon and resolve the matter internally.

"I'm tired of everyone asking me to talk about things," Damon muttered petulantly. "They think if they keep hounding me, I'll eventually cave and express my deep, dark feelings."

Alix opted not to comment, letting her silence give him the opportunity to vent out his frustrations, which would be better for everyone in the long run.

"How about we skip the Dr. Phil session and discuss the reason behind why you're up at the ass crack of dawn instead." He persuaded, pouting his lip to better entice her to side with him.

'Shit.'

Damon had thrown Alix for a loop, changing the subject so quickly; she hadn't counted on him being so observant towards her sleeping patterns.

The art of deflection was something Damon excelled at; she was always amazed and slightly jealous of how skillfully he could quickly gain control of a conversation and manipulate it any way he saw fit to avoid talking about anything.

Rolling her eyes, Alix knew she would indulge him, she was irritated with herself at quickly she gave in around him.

"I couldn't go back to sleep," She admitted reluctantly."This stupid dream I keep having has been fucking with me, that's all." Alix grumbled in irritation, taking a sip of bourbon while Damon stole her unoccupied hand away from her lap.

"How so?" He asked, but he didn't bother to meet her eyes as his fingers traced along the lines of her palm.

"Well, I'm apparently in some castle, surrounded by a lot of people. The thing that bothers me is that while I don't have a clue who they are, I can't rid myself of this nagging feeling in the back of my head that says I should know them." Alix explained, purposely leaving out the mysterious man.

"Please tell me I'm not as insane as I feel." She pleaded, removing her hand from him, hoping to gain Damon's full attention.

A strange look flashed across Damon's face as he took a moment to think about what she'd just asked. Did he honestly think she was insane, hell no; but that didn't mean he didn't question some of her decisions. A sly smile graced his lips as he found his perfect, smartass remark.

"You don't sound insane, but if you mention this to the 'outsiders', they'll probably want to lock your crazy ass up and I won't come rescue you because you were dumb enough to spill the beans to them," Damon teased. "You should probably lay off the weed before bed."

The 'outsiders' Damon had been referring to was pretty much anyone that didn't involve their immediate group of friends. Alix didn't put it past him to refer to anyone other than him or her as that.

Her eyes narrowed as she scowled, her jaw clenching tightly. "It was one fucking time, and you promised to let it go!"

Damon laughed as he threw his hands up in surrender. Alix fought down the overwhelming urge to smack the ever-loving shit out of him, knowing it would just add fuel to the fire.

"I wouldn't put it past anyone to volunteer to lock me up if I started rambling like a crazed maniac about all the shit I've seen." Alix attempted to joke, but her tone lacked humor because there was truth to her words.

"Thank you for finally addressing the humongous elephant in the room," Damon replied in an overly dramatic fashion. "I've been wanting to ask you about that."

"Ask me about what?" Alix probed, playing it off as she was clueless as to what he was talking about.

She knew what information he was hoping for gain from her. Being a hunter, she'd seen things that would make a grown man cry out for his mama. She'd made the mistake of mentioning it and now was to suffer the consequences for it.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Damon stated matter-of-factly as Alix hung her head with a groan. "Nope, you drank my special bourbon, you're not allowed to be stingy. All I'm asking is to know what else is lurking out there in the big bag world.

While Damon saw his request as merely quenching his curiosity, Alix knew there was a fine line between curiosity and believing. How was she going to explain to a vampire, a notorious creature of the night, that he was the least of the world's problems? How does one begin to explain the need to fear the shadows and things that go bump in the night because they make nightmares look like lollipops and majestic unicorns?

' .Life'

"You know the books about folktales and mythological creatures?" Alix began as Damon nodded in response. "That covers a fraction of what I've encountered. Hell, I've come across things my elders used to warn children about."

Silence fell upon the room, making Alix feel anxious. She hated the awkward silences that followed after someone revealed some pretty heavy shit; it always unnerved her.

She didn't go into great detail for a reason; once you knew about their existence, it wasn't long until the world crashed head first through your front door. It was the reason she'd kept her true identity classified.

It was a hard enough truth for her to accept that she was now the creature being hunted.

Damon's attention eventually drifted back to Alix, his mouth opening as though he was about to say something. However, Alix didn't get the chance to hear what he planned on saying as her phone vibrated loudly from her robe pocket. Shifting around, she grabbed it, eyeing the contraption suspiciously when she saw the name of the caller.

Sammy.

Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as his names flashed repeatedly across the screen as she wondered what could possibly warrant such an early morning phone call.

Giving Damon an apologetic smile, she stood up, "Sorry to drink and ditch you, but I need to answer this."

Quickly disappearing right before his eyes, she reappeared in the room she was temporarily occupying. Taking a moment, she pulled herself together before answering.

"Hello?"

"Alix? It's Sam."

Alix couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You don't say, Sherlock." She retorted sarcastically. "If you were looking to throw me off, you might've tried calling me from a number that isn't attached to your name in my contacts."

"Jesus, do you always have to be such a smartass?" Sam groaned.

"People find my quick wit to be charming and downright endearing, dear brother. You're just pissed because you walked right into it, and I called you on it." She chided. "Now, what's up?"

"Nothing really, I just...wanted to talk to you. I've missed my sister, you know." Something about Sam's unusual statement didn't sit well with Alix, giving her the indication this wasn't a routine sibling social call.

"Uh huh," She replied in disbelief. "Seeing as I've only been gone 24 hours, and you're not one to miss me that much you need to randomly call at five o'clock in the morning just for chit-chat, Sam."

Sam's strained sigh confirmed her suspicions. "You going to tell me what this is really about?"

Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably, it was something he only ever did for one of two reasons; he was embarrassed or had just witnessed something potentially life-scarring (i.e. like the time he barged in on Dean having a good time with the Double Mint Twins), or he was about to tell you something you weren't going to like.

"Never could get anything past you," He mumbled indignantly. "I've been talking to Bobby about your dreams." He sheepishly admitted.

"God damn it, Sam!" Alix hissed, her posture becoming rigid. "What part of 'let's keep this between us' did your enormous brain fail to comprehend?!"

"Please hear me out, Ali," Sam pleaded, but Alix was reluctant to. She wanted to hunt him down and kick his ass to kingdom come. "I only confided in him because I needed someone to bounce my theory off of," He explained as Alix made a mental note to no longer trust her brother, especially when his hair always looked effortlessly flawless.

"You going to explain this grand theory of yours, Oh Great One?" She snapped; the lack of sleep whittling at her patience.

"I think the reason why you're having this dream repeatedly is because it's not a dream. I suspect it's a repressed memory of yours from a long time ago, something must've happened to you to make you not recognize anything."

"You bounced that theory off of Bobby? Jesus Christ, what did he have to say?"

"He actually agrees with it."

Alix rubbed a hand over her face as she groaned. "Well, of course, he would; crazy old bastard. So, your theory covers what the dream might possibly be, you have any theories on what the hell happened to me?"

There was a pregnant pause that greeted Alix before Sam finally answered.

"That's the one question that has too many possible scenarios for me to comfortably settle on just one." He sighed, sounding almost defeated. "Maybe there was an accident or perhaps someone did something to you. Knowing you, I wouldn't put it past you to piss off the wrong person, especially with being as old as you are."

Alix pulled the phone away from her ear, giving it a withering glare as if the device was actually her pompous ass of a brother. Dean was usually the one that took great pleasure in tormenting her about her age, so when it would come from Sam, it always blindsided her.

"I'm going to forego commenting on the fact that you just blatantly called me old solely based on the fact that I'm not caffeinated enough to respond with a proper retort," She growled, silently vowing to seek revenge. "Do you think there's a possibility I'll ever fully recover those missing memories?"

"Bobby and I think there's a chance, but it's something you'll probably have to consult a witch about."

"Well, thank my lucky stars, I just so happen to know a witch, darlin'." Alix drawled with a heavy Southern accent, feeling slightly lighter that there was something positive to focus on.

"I'll have to talk to her after we've figured out what the hell is going on here." She added, taking a seat on the lounge chair.

"How does it feel to be back?" Sam inquired.

During her years with the hunters, it was Sam that had really taken an interest in her past. She'd spent hours regaling him with stories, thought she was careful not to mention the town's undead population. the last thing she needed was those two barreling into town and complicating matters.

"I'm convinced the town's motto needs to be 'there's never a dull moment when you're here," Alix laughed lightly. "How are things with you?"

She didn't like the fact that they had all disbanded, especially since the Apocalypse had been jump started. She felt as those her little family was broken though they kept in touch regularly. When Same chose Ruby over her and Dean, no matter how it ended, things might never be the same. Being high on demon blood could only excuse so much, choosing the enemy over your own family wasn't one of them.

Thing was, Alix didn't care; that was her baby brother.

"Oddly quiet if you can believe it." He chuckled. "I'm working at a bar, not a hunter bar but a regular bar with normal patrons. There's even a girl here who keeps chatting me up every time we work together. How would you rate that on the normalcy scale?"

Alix didn't bother trying to mask the giggle that came with the image of Sam awkwardly dealing with a chatty Cathy.

"Jesus Sam, be careful," She warned, choking back a snicker. "You have a track record for attracting extremely psychotic women."

"And you're suddenly the expert on relationships?" Sam scoffed haughtily. "I think I'll pass on the advice coming from someone I've yet to see go on an actual date. I'd be better off getting advice from Dean."

Alix gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock. "I'll have you know I've been on a date before...it's just been a long time. But that doesn't constitute that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about." She argued, feeling offended by his unfounded accusations. "It simply means I have standards...unlike some people."

"Standards huh? I really hope those so-called standards of yours are enough to keep you warm on those long lonely nights." Sam shot back. "Listen Alix, I need to go. You better take care of yourself and if you need anything...I expect a phone call from you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to stay away from psychedelic looking vans and eat my veggies, too."

"Jesus, do you have to be so difficult?" Sam groaned. "You're lucky I love you."

"You better fucking love me." Alix warned in a loving manner.