This is a serious Work In Progress, and completion should not be expected any time soon. This first chapter is a bit of an experiment, so the layout/format may change as we go along.

A lot of dialogue has been taken from the show, that has been highlighted in bold script.

Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say "I'm fine, thank you." "Yes, I feel much better." I will no longer be the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh. Be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through …

The ride to school was comfortingly familiar. Bonnie Bennett, Elena's best friend, was driving them, chatting away about her Grams' crazy family stories, while Elena enjoyed the sun on her face through the window.

"So Grams is telling me that I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like – put this woman in a home already!"

Elena smiled weakly, but her attention was diverted as they drove past the cemetery, her eyes drawn to the path that led to her parents.

"But then 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 …" Bonnie glanced at her. "Elena! Back in the car."

Elena started slightly, looking back at her best friend. "I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that …?"

"That I'm psychic now." Bonnie summarised proudly.

"Right." Elena drawled cynically. "Okay, then. Predict something. About me."

Bonnie took her eyes off the road for a second to smile at her best friend. "I see …"

Out of nowhere, something collided with their windscreen, and Bonnie slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt at the side of the road.

"What was that?! Oh my God, Elena, are you okay?"

"It's okay. I'm fine." Elena answered automatically, trying to calm her racing heart.

"It was like a bird or something." Bonnie continued, her voice shaking. "It came out of nowhere."

"Really." Elena said firmly. "I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life."

Bonnie looked closely at her for a few seconds, assessing the truthfulness of her statement, before reaching out and squeezing one of Elena's hands with a smile. "I predict that this year is gonna be kick-ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy."

Rolling a joint between his fingers, Jeremy smiled genuinely as Vicki Donovan approached him. He loved Vicki – she was the only person who didn't see the kid who'd just lost his parents, she'd kept him sane over the summer.

He'd do anything for her, and he didn't need her to tell him what she wanted, pulling two pills from his pocket.

Her smile brightened when she saw them, and he set them in her hand. "Don't take more than two in a six-hour window."

Vicki glanced around furtively, before swallowing the pills dry, her pupils dilating slightly as they began to take effect.

"Hey, Vick!"

Jeremy groaned inwardly. Tyler frickin' Lockwood. The son of town mayor Richard Lockwood, Tyler had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had pretty much everything going for him, for which he compensated by being a colossal asshole.

And now Tyler's sights seemed to be set on Vicki.

"I thought I'd find you here with the crack-heads." He greeted.

"Hey." Vicki greeted with a smile, apparently ignoring the fact that Tyler had just insulted her as well.

Tyler smirked at Jeremy. "Hey, Pete Wentz called – he wants his nail polish back."

Jeremy took a drag of his joint, snorting mid-exhale. "Pete Wentz, huh? How old school TRL of you. Carson Daly fan?"

Tyler made a motion towards him, but Vicki grabbed his arm, putting a hand on his chest. "Ty, be nice. That's Elena's little brother."

Tyler relaxed slightly. There was no love lost between him and Jeremy, but Tyler, Elena, Caroline and Matt had been in play-pens together (even though Tyler's mom, Carol, and Matt's mom, Kelly, fought like cats and dogs), and Tyler had a (strictly platonic, Jeremy hoped) soft spot for Elena. "I know who he is." He gave Vicki a crooked smile. "I'll still kick his ass."

Vicki rolled her eyes slightly as he kissed her, one arm encircling her waist to pull her against his body.

Jeremy took another much-needed drag, turning away. He couldn't understand what Vicki saw in Tyler – not that he was perfect, but he adored her.

It wasn't fair.

Elena stood still for a few minutes, watching Jeremy storm out of the bathroom, tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She missed her little brother, the kid he used to be, not the stranger who now wore his face.

Gathering her composure, she made sure her mask was firmly in place, before walking out of the men's room and almost colliding with the new guy Bonnie was drooling over.

"Oh, pardon me."

Please be hot ...

Bonnie's wish had come true.

He was …

Wow.

"Is this the men's room?" He asked. His green eyes seemed to sear through to her soul, and she flushed slightly, realising what it looked like.

"Yes. Um … I was just … Um … I was just …" Elena trailed off, a nervous giggle escaping her. "It's a long story."

Something was fluttering in her stomach, making it clench a little. The only guy she had ever really paid attention to was Matt, and now she had taken a step back from that (albeit because of losing her parents), it was obvious that was more because that was what was expected.

The cheerleader and the quarterback, childhood friends, perfect match. Mom started planning the wedding as soon as he first asked me out.

But Matt had never made her feel like this, just with a look.

Realising she had been staring for far too long, she stepped to the left to move around him, just as he moved in the same direction. She moved to the right, only for the same thing to happen, and he gave her a small smile, taking another step to let her past.

"Thank you." Elena murmured, hurrying off to class. She couldn't help turning back, though, to see him gazing after her, a curious expression in his eyes.

Dear Diary,

I made it through the day. I must have said 'I'm fine, thanks', at least thirty-seven times. And I didn't mean it once. But no one noticed. When someone asks 'how are you', they don't really want an answer.

Hidden away in the cemetery, Elena paused, tapping her pen against her lips. For the first time, she wanted to ramble in her journal about something that had happened that day, rather than how she felt about her parents.

During History, she had hardly been able to concentrate, distracted by the new guy sitting across the room.

For his part, he didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off her.

Elena felt her cheeks heat, thinking about him. Now was not the time to get a new boyfriend.

Losing her parents, Jeremy's rebellion, Matt's … issues …

New boyfriend was not on the agenda – couldn't be on the agenda.

Get a grip, Elena – you haven't even spoken to the guy. He could be a complete douchebag for all you know.

Her eyes strayed to the gravestone opposite her, her parents' names sparkling at her in the afternoon sun.

Wish you were here, Mom. You'd know what to do.

With a sigh, she set her pen to paper once more.

There's this new guy in school – Stefan – and he's so hot; I swear, it's like …

A loud caw made her jump, and she looked up to see a crow sitting on her parents' gravestone.

Elena breathed out a small sigh of relief. "Okay. Hi bird. That's not creepy or anything." She muttered, returning to her journal.

… his gaze went straight through me to my soul. I don't know what …

She stopped again, this time distracted by the sudden fog that was rolling in around her. It was low to the ground and very thick, and she swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very nervous.

The crow was still staring at her and it didn't make her feel any better. Getting to her feet, she flapped a hand at it. "Shoo!"

It took off, and she relaxed a little. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She turned back to the grave she had been leaning against, and bit back a scream, seeing the same crow sitting atop it.

Her nerves increasing, she slowly reached for her bag and backed away. The fog was even thicker now, but she thought she could just see the outline of a man standing behind one of the tombstones.

Her heart pounding, she began to run deeper into the cemetery towards the forest. She had lived in Mystic Falls her whole life, had gone on frequent trips into the woods with her father, she knew the hidden pathways and forgotten shortcuts better than anyone living.

As she reached the bottom of the hidden ditch, she tripped at the base of one of the trees, her hands scuffing on the ground as they broke her fall. Scrambling to her feet, she checked behind her, but there was no sign of anyone.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to run along the forest floor, only to come face to face with the boy she'd been contemplating earlier.

"Are you okay?"

Elena scrambled for words, her mouth and her brain not quite connecting. "Were you following me?"

His brow creased in apparent confusion. "No, I … I just … I saw you fall."

"Uh huh." Elena said, still catching her breath. "And you just happened to be hanging out in a cemetery."

"I'm visiting." He said softly. "I have family here."

Elena closed her eyes, wincing. "Oh. Wow. Tactless." She opened her eyes again, meeting his with undisguised sincerity. "I'm sorry. It's the fog. It's making me foggy." Bad analogy, Elena, but go with it. "And earlier, there was this … this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock for a second. That is the bird movie, right? Hitchcock?"

He nodded, smiling slightly, and she smiled back a little self-consciously, realising she was rambling. "I'm Elena."

"I'm Stefan."

Elena's smile widened a little. "I know. We have History together."

"And English and French." Stefan added.

"Right." Elena said with a nod.

There were a few seconds of awkward silence, but before Elena could think of a way to break it, he reached out and pulled a leaf from her hair.

"Thanks." She whispered.

Her heart beat a little faster, and she silently chastised herself.

God, get a grip. It's just a leaf. Try to think of something interesting to say!

As he let the leaf fall to the ground, she caught sight of the ring on his middle finger. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it earlier – it was quite big and intricate. "Nice ring."

"Oh." Stefan glanced at it, as though he hadn't noticed it either. "It's a family ring, yeah. I'm kind of stuck with it."

Elena nodded understandingly. There was one of those in her family, which her father had worn. They should probably have kept it for Jeremy, but he had disagreed and Grayson had probably been buried with it. If Elena had been thinking clearly, she would have rescued it anyway, since Jeremy would probably change his mind in the future.

"It's weird, huh?" Stefan asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"No, no." Elena said hastily. "It's just, I mean, there are rings and then there's … that."

The silence fell again, but despite her nervousness, it didn't feel as awkward. His eyes locked with hers and she drank them in, willing to stand there forever just as long as he didn't look away. His eyes looked so much older than the rest of him, even older than hers did when she looked in the mirror these days.

After a few minutes, he glanced down, a frown crossing her face. "Did you hurt yourself?" He asked suddenly.

Elena couldn't help being a little wrong-footed by the sudden question. "Hmm?"

"Did you hurt yourself?" Stefan repeated.

"Oh … I don't know." Elena admitted, moving over to one of the fallen trees. Setting her foot on the trunk, she rolled up her pant leg, wincing slightly when the material stuck to her skin, answering his question even before she saw the bloody gash on her leg. "Oh! Would you look at that? That is not pretty." She glanced up, but Stefan had turned away. "Are you okay?"

"You should go." Stefan told her in a strained voice. "Take care of that."

Elena looked back at the cut, exploring it with carefully, before pulling the material back down. "Really, it's nothing." She straightened up and turned back to face him.

But he had vanished.

"Isn't there a rule about this?" Caroline asked, leaning against the bar.

"About what?" Tyler asked, as Vicki gave him a smile and moved away.

"Hitting on your best friend's sister." Caroline elaborated. "Isn't it in, like, the bro code or something?"

"The 'bro code'?" Tyler snorted. "Get a grip, Forbes, this isn't the movies."

"No, in the movies, you might actually be able to beat me." Caroline shot back, snagging the pool cue from him.

Across the room, Bonnie watched them warily, hardly paying attention to Matt sitting beside her. Since they had started high school, Tyler's attitude had been getting increasingly aggressive, to the extent that Elena, Caroline and Bonnie tended to avoid him more often than not. It was a sad state of affairs given how close they all used to be, but maybe it was time to move on. Keeping an eye on a potentially volatile Tyler and an increasingly stubborn Caroline was only half her reason for ignoring Matt though.

Bonnie knew that Matt was still hung up on Elena, and she was hoping that he would get bored and leave before Elena got there and things got awkward.

"How's Elena doing?" Matt asked quietly.

Bonnie sighed, giving in. "Her mom and dad died; how do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months."

Matt fidgeted slightly. "Has she said anything about me?"

Bonnie gave him an incredulous look. "Oh no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and you call her."

"I feel weird calling her!" Matt protested. "She broke up with me!"

Bonnie wanted to roll her eyes and tell Matt that Elena broke up with Matt-the-boyfriend not Matt-the-friend, but she knew that was little comfort right now. "Give it more time, Matt."

At that moment, as if on cue, the door to the Grill opened, and Elena walked in, closely followed by Stefan Salvatore.

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was there, and more genuine than it had been in four months. She was saying something to him, gesturing around them, not standing overly close to him, but closer than was perhaps strictly necessary.

"More time, huh?" Matt muttered, pushing his chair away.

Elena broke off, watching warily as Matt approached. Over by the pool table, Tyler stiffened, clearly readying himself to jump in if a fight broke out. Caroline's eyes were fixed on Stefan and Elena, but a quick glance told Bonnie that her hand was just resting on Tyler's arm, fully prepared to hold him back if it came down to it.

Matt stopped in front of them, holding out his hand. "Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you."

As Stefan shook his hand and introduced himself, Bonnie let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. Caroline sunk the last ball, handed her cue over to one of their classmates, and hurried over to her.

"Oh my God! Oh my God, did you see that?!"

"Since when do they know each other?" Bonnie asked, watching Elena lead Stefan over to them.

Caroline shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

"Stefan, this is Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes." Elena said as they reached the table. "Guys, this is Stefan Salvatore."

"We've met." Caroline said, giving him a smile.

"We have." Stefan said with a nod, pulling out a chair for Elena almost automatically.

Bonnie caught Elena's eye, earning a shy smile from her best friend.

"I'm sure this place was a barber shop last time I was here." Stefan continued. "Of course that was quite a while ago."

"Right, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline checked.

Stefan nodded. "And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie asked, remembering that Caroline said he lived with his uncle.

Stefan hesitated for a second. "My parents passed away."

He caught Elena's eye, and she attempted a weak smile. "I'm sorry. Any siblings?"

"None that I talk to." Stefan answered, a little cryptically. "I live with my uncle."

"So Stefan," Caroline said, in a transparent attempt to steer the conversation back to cheerier topics, "if you're new in town, you won't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the Falls." Bonnie explained.

Stefan looked at Elena. "Are you going?"

Caroline answered for her. "Of course she is."

Why did you come back?

Crossing the room to one of the closets where he kept his journals, Stefan searched along the row until he found 1864, retrieving the photograph tucked inside.

He wasn't sure why he still kept it, when the emotions it stirred in him were nowhere near as cut-and-dry as they once were.

Hurt, hatred, confusion, and yet, at the same, love and nostalgia, all swirling around his head in a cacophony of madness and emotion.

Katherine Pierce had been an enigma in 1864, and was even more of one now. Sometimes Stefan hated her for dying before he had a chance to demand an explanation, sometimes he hated that she was dead, and sometimes he just hated her.

More and more, recently, it was the latter.

When he had first laid eyes on Elena, he had been convinced she was Katherine, but now he knew better.

Elena was different, and that should satisfy his curiosity, should be enough to let him slink back into the shadows, travelling the world alone on the fringes of society.

But there was one way in which Elena and Katherine were exactly alike.

After just one smile, he knew that he could never just walk away.

With a sigh, Stefan slipped the photograph away and left the house, hoping school would take his mind off of things.

"You know you're kinda the talk of the town."

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

Elena nodded. "Mysterious new guy … oh yeah."

"Well, you have the mysterious thing going too." Stefan told her. "Twinged in sadness."

Elena frowned slightly. "What makes you think I'm sad?"

"Well, we did meet in a graveyard." Stefan pointed out, his tone slightly teasing.

"Right." Elena muttered. "Wait, no – technically, we met in the men's room." She corrected, getting a slight smile. "You don't want to know, it's … not exactly party chit-chat."

"Well, I've never been very good at chit-chat." Stefan said.

He wasn't asking her what had happened, just leaving the conversation open and letting her know that he'd listen if she wanted to talk.

It was refreshing after so many months of probing questions, and Elena found herself voluntarily talking about the accident for the first time since it had happened. "Last spring … my parents' car drove off a bridge into the lake. And I was in the back seat and I survived, but … they didn't." She swallowed hard. "So that's my story."

After a few more steps, Elena realised that Stefan wasn't by her side anymore, and turned to see that he'd stopped, probably when she'd finished talking. He was looking at her with an expression just bordering on sympathy, with an edge of understanding that made her heart ache. He knew, and she could only hope he knew enough not to ask what everyone else did.

"You won't be sad forever, Elena." He said finally, catching up with her.

The words were somehow soothing to Elena. He wasn't telling her that she shouldn't be sad anymore, just that she wouldn't be forever, that it was okay to still be grieving, but that one day things would be okay.

It was everything she hadn't realised she needed to hear.

Walking and talking with Stefan was so natural that Elena barely noticed when her foot stepped on the small footbridge.

Her subconscious noticed though, and Stefan noticed when she froze, backing up a few steps.

"What's wrong?"

Elena took a deep breath and tried to smile. "I … er … I haven't crossed a bridge since the accident. I know it sounds stupid, but …"

"Not stupid." Stefan said immediately. "Trauma can have all sorts of effects, and they're never ones you'd choose. Do you want to go back?"

He continued to surprise her. He didn't tell her that it would be okay and that she could do it, but he didn't tell her that they would walk another way.

It was her choice.

Taking a deep breath, Elena shook her head. "No. I can't be afraid of bridges forever." She stepped on to the bridge, making a conscious effort to steady her breathing.

His hand settled on the small of her back, not guiding he or forcing her, but somehow calming her, and they walked together out to the middle of the bridge, where she stopped, gazing out at the woods and the party and the night sky.

"I've always loved this view." She whispered. "I used to come out here and sit and just listen to the silence. When there wasn't a party here, obviously."

Stefan leaned on the railing. "It is beautiful." He agreed, but his gaze seemed to linger on her more than the view. "So what were you upset about earlier?"

"I wasn't upset." Elena assured him. "Bonnie just had a funny few minutes, that's all. It freaked her out, it freaked me out …"

"I like Bonnie." Stefan remarked, when it was clear Elena wasn't going to elaborate further. "She seems like a good friend."

Elena smiled. "Best friend in the world."

"And Matt," Stefan glanced towards the party. "He can't seem to take his eyes off of us."

Elena followed his gaze to see that Matt was watching them, almost staring, paying no attention to the conversation around him. "Matt's that friend from childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more."

"And?" Stefan prompted.

Elena shrugged. "And then my parents died. And everything changes." She turned her back on Matt, leaning against the railing. "Anyway, Matt and I … together, we just … I dunno … it wasn't … it wasn't …"

"Passionate?" Stefan finished.

Elena met his eyes, her breath catching at the intensity of his gaze. "No." She agreed softly. "It wasn't passionate." It would be with him though, she thought, staring into his eyes. She found herself wishing that he would kiss her, and was just about to throw caution to the wind and take the initiative, when she noticed his eyes darkening, looking almost blood-shot in the dim light. "Are you okay? Your eye, it just …"

"Oh." Stefan turned away from her, wiping at it. "Yeah … No, it's nothing. Are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink."

Elena watched him leave, tilting her head curiously. Everyone seemed to be acting strangely tonight. Maybe someone had spiked the drinks – although why anyone would bother with the alcohol flowing freely was beyond her.

Shrugging it off, she wandered after Stefan, not chasing him, giving him time to recover from … whatever it was, and back into the crowd at the party.

"You sober yet?" Bonnie asked sympathetically, cradling her coffee mug in her hands.

Caroline took a deep breath, before burying her face in her hands. "No."

"Keep drinking." Bonnie ordered, pushing Caroline's coffee across the Grill table. "I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home."

Caroline lifted her head. "Why didn't he go for me? You know, how come the guys I want never want me?"

Bonnie sighed. "I'm not touching that."

Caroline shook her head. "I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing … And Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just … picks her! And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything! And I try … so hard … and … I'm never the one."

"It's not a competition." Bonnie said gently.

Caroline frowned. "Yes, it is."

Bonnie sighed again, but didn't refute Caroline's statement. Although Elena was oblivious to it, she and Caroline had been competing since they were young.

It wasn't that Caroline was competitive – although she was – it was that Elena always seemed to have everything Caroline didn't.

While Caroline's father was battling with his own self-identity, Elena's was holding family barbecues in the back yard.

While Caroline's mother was working so many shifts it was a miracle she could pick her daughter out of a line-up, Elena's was braiding her hair and having mother-daughter slumber parties.

While Caroline was a lonely only child, Elena had a younger brother she adored and who loved her.

While Caroline was the captain of the cheer squad, Elena was the one dating the quarterback.

In fact, the loss of her parents was the first stroke of misfortune that had struck Elena in her life, albeit a very bad stroke of misfortune.

Caroline's problem, Bonnie mused, was that she tried too hard, and it showed. Elena never tried, and things just came naturally to her.

Like Stefan.

A blind person could see that Caroline had never stood a chance – Stefan had been taken with Elena the moment he laid eyes on her.

"I'm gonna pay the bill." She said softly, abandoning her seat to head for the bar.

Caroline nodded absently, sipping her coffee. She had to admit, Stefan and Elena would make a striking couple.

And, if it wasn't her, at least Elena would be happier again.

Caroline sighed. If the roles were reversed, Elena would have no trouble being happy for Caroline, while Caroline had to force the kind thoughts to the front of her mind.

Perfect, selfless Elena.

It drove her crazy sometimes.

Feeling eyes on her, Caroline glanced up. A man was sat at the next table, a few years older than her, but still.

He was watching her with icy blue eyes, smirking slightly when she caught his gaze. She smiled shyly, fairly certain he was actually looking at someone behind her. But his smirk widened into a smile, and he nodded slightly as if to say, "Yeah, you."

"Well, that's the bill paid." Bonnie said, slipping back into her seat, blocking Caroline's view. "What are you smiling about?"

Caroline leaned forwards. "Who's that?"

"Who?" Bonnie asked.

"The guy behind you." Caroline whispered. "He's totally hot, and I swear he was checking me out."

Bonnie glanced over her shoulder. "There is no guy behind me."

Sure enough, the table was empty, not even an empty glass or receipt to suggest that anyone had been here in the first place.

"Oh." Caroline deflated. "Never mind."

Bonnie shook her head. "Come on, Caroline. Let's get home before your mom starts calling. You can worry about mystery guys tomorrow."

From the shadows, Damon watched the two girls leave, a smirk on his face. He hadn't paid much attention to the girls on the next table, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. He had avoided Mystic Falls as much as possible over the last 145 years, almost as much as he had Stefan.

Being back here with his brother was stirring up far more feelings than Damon was comfortable with.

No, not feelings. He hadn't had any of them in a long time.

Why did Stefan have to come back to Mystic Falls now, of all times?

And then decide to stick around?

If he figured out what Damon was up to, he'd try to stop him.

Or, worse, it would be 1864 all over again.

She's mine, brother. You'll just have to deal with it.

And then there was Elena.

What was her connection to Katherine?

Was there a connection?

Well, whether there was or there wasn't, she was his brother's biggest weakness right now. If Damon could break them up, Stefan might leave town, and Damon could get down to business.

But to do that, he needed to get to Elena.

And then he tuned in to the girls' conversation.

They were talking about his brother … and Elena.

Friends of hers by the sound of it.

One of whom sounded pretty desperate.

As her friend left, Damon chanced a glance over at her. Pretty girl – there's a plus. Desperate and needy, check. Looks nothing like Katherine, check. Friends with Elena, check.

She looked up and caught his gaze, smiling shyly.

Definitely interested. Double check.

As her friend returned, Damon used the time in which the girl's view of him was blocked to slip out of sight. He recognised the other girl – a Bennett if ever he saw one.

Dammit. Probably a witch, so I can't get too close. Not tonight then.

"Soon." He murmured, as the Grill door swung shut. "We'll meet again … Caroline."