A/N: Sooo, this is an edited version of my old story, Love and Affection, and it's just something that popped into my head a long time ago. It follows Season 1, and will go into the seasons beyond as well. Let me know what you think! Oh, and the beautiful cover was made by the lovely Ayita TDA (thanks so much hun!)

! #$%^

"Nellie," She could hear a voice whisper, attempting to pull her out of her sleep.

She turned away from the source of the noise, pulling the covers up over her head. She should have known that it wouldn't help anything, but couldn't really bring herself to care. All she wanted was just a little more shut eye time.

"Five minutes…" She mumbled, and began drifting off once again. Of course, not two seconds after she fell back asleep, the damn person had to come and wake her back up.

"NELLIE!" That time the person screamed much louder than necessary, right next to her ear. Nellie could instantly feel her anger rush to her chest, and she let out a frustrated shriek, and launched herself out of bed and onto the person who thought that screaming was such a brilliant idea.

"Oof!"

She looked down to see her sister Elena underneath her, who now had an angry glare on her face. Nellie just stuck her tongue out at her sister, before rolling off and lying down on the ground beside her. Elena shook her head as she chuckled softly, and then stood, offering a hand that Nellie reluctantly took. Nellie grunted as she stood upright, her head spinning slightly. She looked over at Elena (who had a giant grin on her face), and smacked the back of her sister's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Elena grimaced, and rubbed at the sore spot. Nellie shot her a look that told her exactly what she did, and shook her head.

She walked over to the door to the bathroom that she and Elena shared with Jeremy. Yes, they had to share a bathroom, and yes, she had to share a room with her sister. There weren't enough rooms in the house for each of them to have their own, and since Elena was her twin, it made the choice easy.

Yeah, yeah; the great and mighty Elena Gilbert was her twin. And it kind of sucked. Just a little… maybe a lot? She didn't really know.

Elena and Nellie had a complicated relationship, and neither of them really knew what to do. Before their parent's had died, they were both extremely close to each other. They were vastly different in their personalities, but that didn't matter, and they had done everything together. But lately things were different.

Elena and Nellie didn't have anything in common anymore, except their shared grief over their parents, and they couldn't exactly hang out and bond over that. Elena just got on Nellie's nerves more often, and even though she doesn't mean it, Nellie snaps at her constantly.

She felt kind of bad about it, but she didn't know what to do.

Jeremy was a lot easier to relate to nowadays, and they had both grow close over the summer. Even if he was one of the biggest pill poppers Nellie knew. Yes, she knew that her little brother dealt out prescription drugs, and no, she don't like it, but what could she do? Both Elena and Nellie have tried to get him to stop for ages now, but it did no good.

It was one more thing to add to the list of things that suck.

Nellie shook her head, and knocked on the door to Jer's room, and when she got no answer she simply barged right in. She planning on bugging the hell out of him, but at the sight of her little brother sleeping so peacefully, she left and went back to her room. Elena was writing in her journal when she walked back in, scribbling whatever feelings were inside her head at the time.

Nellie didn't understand her.

They had always been different; Nellie was the brash one, doing all the stupid things that Elena had to come and save her from, while Elena was the sweet, popular, cheerleading type. And Nellie knew that there was so much more to Elena than that, but that was the only way she could sum it up.

And maybe it was because she was jealous of her sister. And oh, she was. Elena always seemed to have it together, always seemed to have control over things. She knew what to say, what to do, how to act; it all came naturally to her. She was good at everything, and Nellie just wasn't.

Nellie may be brash and bold, but she was also scared and angry. She couldn't control what she said, she couldn't act calm and collected. She hated crowds, hated having to confront people (though it may not seem that way to her friends), and she never knew what to do.

They were vastly different from each other, on the inside and on the outside. Now, they did look extremely similar to each other, with their brown hair and brown eyes and ivory skin, but somehow Nellie didn't get Elena's perfect nose, or her lips.

Life sucked.

Nellie sighed to herself, and since it seemed that there was no way she would be able to go back to sleep, she started to get ready for the first day of school.

Gah; school.

School and Nellie didn't really… get along, what with it being so long and boring, and her being so Nellie. She went and got pretty good grades, but only because of her Mom and Dad.

There was a sudden pang in her chest at the thought of her parents. She clenched her eyes shut to stop the stinging in her eyes, and sighed. It had only been a short while since they had , so the wound was still wide open and new. She gulped, and shook her head from side to side.

No.

She wasn't going to do this. She was going to get dressed, go to school, hang out with her friends, and above all: she wasn't going to cry.

She had shed too many tears already, and now it was time to be okay. She was going to be okay: she had Elena and Jer, and even her Aunt Jenna, who were all going through the same thing as her, and they seemed to be doing okay. And if they could handle it, she sure as hell wasn't going to break down and start crying. She was going to be the strong one for once in her life.

She finished getting ready, and rushed down the stairs to get some coffee for the morning.

When she got into the kitchen, Aunt Jenna was already there, looking for something in the refrigerator.

"Toast. I can make toast," She offered, obviously trying to be helpful.

Aunt Jenna had always been sweet to them, but sometimes it was a little much. Nellie held up an empty coffee cup, smirking softly.

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," She said.

"Is there coffee?"

Nellie turned to see Jer walking towards her. She started to fill up her cup as Aunt Jenna ran around trying to get everything that she would need for the day.

"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," She muttered to herself. Nellie smiled, and was about to say something when Jeremy took her coffee from her, taking a sip as he walked.

"Alright then! No coffee for me…" She rolled my eyes, and nudged Jer with her shoulder. Elena came down the stairs then, looking happier than usual. That was a good thing for her, because she'd had enough of her twin sulking around the house all of the time. Her depressing mood had made her depressed.

"Lunch money?" Aunt Jenna asked the three of them, holding out several dollar bills.

"I'm okay," Nellie said.

"I'm good," Elena mirrored her.

Jeremy looked at the money, then back at the two of his sisters. He shrugged, and took it, stuffing it into his pocket.

"Anything else? A number 2 pencil?" Jenna asked, more to herself than to any of the teenagers. "What am I missing?"

"Didn't you have a big presentation today?"

Elena asked. Aunt Jenna looked down at her watch.

"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at…. Now." She sighed, and took her hair down from her ponytail. "Crap."

"Then go. We'll be fine." Nellie said, shooing her aunt with her hands. Jenna looked relieved, and smiled a thank you at them before rushing out of the house. Nellie walked over to her backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. She mentally went through everything she would need for today, making sure she didn't miss anything.

"You guys okay?" She looked up from the ground to find Elena staring at both Jeremy and herself. She rolled her eyes, and took a sip from Jer's coffee. Jer scoffed at her, and ripped the coffee back out of her hands.

"Don't start." He said, looking more annoyed than usual.

Nellie sighed and patted her sister on the back, shaking her head.

"Nice going, Elena darling," She spoke, before sitting down to watch the news.

! #$%^

When Bonnie got to the house to take the two of them to school as usual, Nellie ran out of the house and jumped into the backseat of her blue car. Elena walked out after her, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Hey Elena, Nellie," Bonnie greeted us.

"Hey,"

"Hi," Elena and Nellie spoke at the same time. Bonnie smiled, and they drove off to the school. Elena was busy staring off out of the window, and Nellie was fiddling with her painted white nails.

"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic," Bonnie began talking. "Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that,"

Elena glanced over at Bonnie, barely listening.

"I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it." Bonnie said, motioning with her free hand. "I'm like; put this woman in a home already! But I started thinking, I predicted Obama, and I predicted Heath Ledger. And I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands." She said.

There was silence, and she looked over at Elena, who was still staring out of the window.

"Elena! Back in the car," Bonnie smiled and shook her head. Elena turned to face her best friend, frowning.

"I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry Bonnie." She said, sighing. "You were telling me that-"

"Bonnie's psychic now," Nellie chimed in.

Bonnie looked back at her and smiled.

"At least someone was listening," She chuckled. Elena raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"Right, okay. Then predict something about us," She said, challenging Bonnie to come up with something. Bonnie smiled, and stared at Elena and Nellie for a while, occasionally looking back to the road.

"Right. I see-"

Right at the moment, a black bird hit the windshield, and Bonnie laid on the brakes, swerving over to the side of the road. Nellie's head roughly smacked the side widow, and she groaned, rubbing the soon to be bruise.

"What was that?" Bonnie gasped, turning to them. "Oh my God!" She sighed.

"Elena, Nellie, are you guys okay?"

Nellie only moaned as a response, still grimacing because of her head. Elena looked pale, more so than usual, and she nodded quickly.

"It's okay. I'm fine." Elena let out a shaky breath. Bonnie looked concerned, but seemed to believe her.

"It was like a bird or something; it came out of nowhere,"

"Really, we can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of our lives," Elena said, and Bonnie nodded.

It was quiet for a moment, but then she turned back to the both of the girls, smiling widely.

"I predict that this year is going to be kick-ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over, and you guys are going to be beyond happy," Bonnie said, looking back and forth between the two of them. Nellie smiled warmly at her, and nodded in agreement.

As soon as they had gotten themselves together, they got back onto the road and headed to school, making it there in record timing. They made their way into the school and walked down the hallways, surveying everyone as they went.

"Major lack of male real estate," Bonnie commented, and Nellie couldn't help but to agree. There were no guys that caught her eye this year. How sad.

"Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beach! She looks a hot—Can I still say 'trannie mess'?" She asked, turning towards her friends. Nellie smirked, and Elena shook her head.

"No, that's over," She said. Bonnie groaned.

"Ugh. Find a man and coin a phrase. It's a busy year," She said, her eyes flickering towards something behind Elena. Nellie followed her line of sight until her own eyes landed on Matt, who was staring intensely at her sister. Can she say creepy?

Elena caught sight of what they were staring at, and turned around to face him. She raised a hand in a greeting, but he just grabbed his books and slammed his locker shut with more force than necessary. Nellie raised her eyebrows and looked at Elena with a small frown. Elena just sighed.

"He hates me…"

"He doesn't hate you, Elena, his heart is broken," Her sister explained. "There's a difference." She pointed out. Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"That's not hate. That's 'You dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it... but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits.'"

Nellie chuckled at Bonnie's words, and was about to say something to her sister when someone flung their arms around Elena's neck, startling all of them.

"Elena! Oh my God!" A high pitched voice shouted out in sympathy.

Nellie groaned quietly when she realized who it was. It was Caroline, one of their oldest friends. Oh, dear God... I mean, she was nice enough, but she was a little bit too girly for Nellie. And way too flirty for her own good.

Nellie tried to edge behind Bonnie, but it was too late. Caroline caught sight of her, and flung herself at the girl. Nellie huffed, and patted her back awkwardly.

"Nellie!" Caroline squealed. After a while she pulled back, putting one hand on Elena's shoulder, and the other on Nellie's.

"How are you guys? It's so good to see you!" She said, staring intensely at the two sisters. Before they had a chance to answer her, she turned to Bonnie.

"How are they? Are they good?" She wrung her hands, worried for their sakes. Nellie scoffed and rolled her eyes, but luckily Caroline didn't notice. Elena shook her head, and leaned towards her blonde friend.

"Caroline, we're right here." She said slowly, as if talking to a five year old. Well, with Caroline, it was like talking to a five year old, Nellie supposed.

"And we're fine, thank you," She added, hoping it would make her get off of their backs. I mean, they had just lost their Mom and Dad. Elena and Nellie were in the car with them when they died! Of course they weren't okay! And they didn't want anyone's sympathy, either.

"Really?" Caroline asked. Nellie had had enough of her, and was going to give her piece of her mind.

"Seri-"

"Yes, much better," Elena cut her sister off, knowing what she was going to say. Nellie glared at her, but she just kept smiling at Caroline. She shook her head, but stayed silent.

"Oh, you poor things," Caroline sighed, and pulled them both in for a 'group hug'. Nellie's eyes narrowed, and she had to push back the urge to sock Caroline in the face.

"Okay, Caroline." Elena said, pushing on her gently and trying to get her off of them. Caroline stayed that way for at least thirty more seconds, before finally pulling away.

"Okay!" She said, clapping her hands together happily. "See you guys later?" She asked, smiling.

"Okay! Yeah..." Elena said, trailing off as Caroline skipped away from them. They both kept smiling until she was out of sight, making sure that she wasn't going to pop up out of nowhere once again. They turned back to Bonnie, and upon seeing her face, they both shook their heads.

"No comment." Nellie said, nearly face palming herself right then.

"I'm not going to say anything." Elena agreed with her. Nelie laughed, and motioned for the three of them to move down the hallway. Anywhere away from Caroline is a place she'd gladly go.

They continued walking down the hallways until they passed the main office, where Nellie caught sight of a back that didn't look familiar to her. Bonnie noticed it as well, because she stopped the group by holding out a hand, and motioning towards the guy.

"Hold up. Who's this?" She asked. Nellie turned to get a better look at the guy, and saw him wearing a jacket and some very nice looking jeans.

"All I see is back," Elena shrugged.

"It's a hot back." Bonnie said, staring intensely at the mystery man. Elena and Nellie giggled, both agreeing with her. He definitely had a very good looking back, and she couldn't wait to see his face. Maybe they'd finally get a hot guy at their school!

"I'm sensing Seattle. And he plays the guitar," Bonnie predicted for them. Nellie scoffed, and turned to face her.

"You're really going to run this psychic thing into the ground, aren't you?" She asked, shaking her head. It was funny, that much was true, but she could foresee this becoming their inside joke for the rest of the year.

"Pretty much." Bonnie shrugged, smirking slightly.

"Well-"

"Jeremy, good batch, man!" A guy shouted from across the hall.

Nellie's smile immediately fell from my face, and she turned, hoping it was another Jeremy that the voice was talking about. She caught sight of Jer heading into the men's restroom, and knew then that she had to have a talk with him. She motioned to Elena, who had seen him as well. They both sighed, and headed towards the bathroom.

"We'll be right back."

Nellie pushed the door open and glared at Jer, who was using eye drops to hide his red eyes. She marched forward and shoved past a boy who was just a little bit angry with her for it. She reached up and grabbed his face, looking at his eyes.

"Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned." Elena shook her head, furious with their little brother.

"No, I'm not." He protested, scoffing at them.

Nellie's eyes began to sting, and she bit her lip so hard it drew blood. She wasn't going to cry, not now.

"Jer, you promised." She said, hoping her pain would make him feel guilty. Jeremy had promised that after the summer was over, he would quit doing drugs. She had told him that she didn't want to see his life ruined, and that drugs would lead him down a path he shouldn't be going down.

"Nell, don't do this to me..." Jeremy groaned, and shook his head. She was about to say something when Elena cut in.

"Where is it?" She asked, and pushed Nellie out of the way, searching Jer's pockets. "Is it on you?"

Jeremy slapped her hands away, and Nellie looked down at the ground.

"Stop! You need to chill yourself, alright?" Jer yelled, all trace of guilt gone from his brown eyes. Elena scoffed.

"Chill myself, what is that, stoner talk?" She asked, searching Jer's eyes for something unknown to her.

"Dude, you are so cool." Nellie added, the sarcasm clear in her tone. Elena reached forward, trying to find where he hid his stash.

"Look, stop! I don't have anything on me! Are you crazy?" He shouted, getting even angrier with his siblings. Nellie laughed, and stepped forward, shoving him back with the palms of her hands.

"You haven't seen crazy, Jer." She said, furious with him for being such a loser. Elena held her sister back, and Nellie nodded her head.

He wasn't worth it.

"I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself!" Nellie yelled at him. He tried to get back up, but she shoved him back against the sink. "No, no, no! You know what? Go ahead, keep it up! But we're not just going to stop bugging you about it! Elena and I will be there every time to ruin your 'buzz', you got that?" She shouted.

Just then, a toilet flushed, and a guy walked out of a stall. Nellie stood up straight, sighing to herself. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get through to him by yelling, so she tried a different approach.

"Jer, come on. I know you, I know that you're not this person," she said softly. "So don't be this person."

Jeremey was silent for a long time, his face softening when he looked at his sister's face, but the look quickly went away when he looked at Elena.

"I don't need this." He said, brushing past them both.

Nellie sighed, and sank down against the wall.

Jeremy and Nellie had always been close, but this was just horrible. Elena held out a hand to her, and she took it, pulling herself onto my feet. Elena shook her head, and rushed out of the bathroom with Nellie close on her tail.

She was determined to get to Bonnie, but before she could get very far she ran smack into a handsome boy. Nellie stifled a giggle when she realized that this was the guy that they had been talking about earlier. He was definitely more handsome than his back, and Nellie watched in amusement as Elena gawked at him.

"Um, is this the men's room?" The guy asked, much to both of their embarrassment. His eyes flickered back and forth between Elena and herself, before finally landing on Elena again.

"Yes, I-I wa-was just, um..." She stuttered, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't make her look like an idiot.

"I w-was just..."

Alright, that was enough!

"It's a long story." Nellie chimed in, hoping to help her sister out a little bit. Elena smiled at the boy, and tried to move around him, but he tried to do the same thing, ending up in front of her once again. They tried it once more, but the same thing happened.

The guy stopped, and motioned with his hand for the girls to move past him, and Elena thanked him, nearly sprinting back to Bonnie. Once they were around the corner, Nellie couldn't help it, and started laughing as hard as she could.

"Nellie!" Elena scolded her sister.

"Sorry! It was too hard to resist!" She chuckled to herself.

"Come on, let's get to class..."

! #$%^

"Once our home state of Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state."

Nellie's head was resting in her hands, and she was starting to doze off. Why was History so boring? She woke herself up and started to look around the classroom, trying to find anything interesting to stare at. There was the new boy, whose name she soon found out was Stefan, but he was busy staring at Elena. Occasionally his eyes would flicker towards her, but they always returned to Elena.

Nellie scoffed softly, and shook her head. Elena always got the guys.

"People in Virginia's Northwest had different ideas from those of the traditional deep South." She stopped listening after that, as the Civil War was boring enough without their teacher making it even worse.

She looked around the classroom once again, and caught Matt staring at Elena as well. Jeez! Were there any guys who would just leave her twin alone? And why did she get all of the stares? They were both similar enough in looks! Oh well. She didn't need a guy.

She pulled out her phone, and sent a text to Elena.

So, Mr. Hottie is staring at you. Just thought you might want to know.

Nellie watched as Elena pulled out her phone, and checked her sister's message. She glanced over at Nellie, then at the guy, who was still watching her intently. She smiled, and leaned forward at her desk, just now starting to listen to the teacher.

Nellie felt a small smirk grow on her lips, and she rested her head on the desk once more.

! #$%^

A/N: Hey guys, so that was just the first chapter. Let me know what you guys think, and whether I should continue writing it or not. Thanks!