well I've been in the mood to write a new fic for a few weeks and was playing around with some ideas in my head before finally settling on this one. It should be a fun little AU, I'm thinking about 10 chapters long. There'll be a lot of familiar characters that pop up along the way. If you have a request for a particular character, just let me know!

"Please!" the man shouted, "You have to come back!"

Elena raised a hand to shield her face, as her hair whipped wildly around her shoulders. "I…I don't…"

The whirlwind increased in intensity and she stumbled back several paces. "Think, Elena!" She caught a glimpse of frantic green eyes. "You have to remember!"

She stared at him and lowered her arm, just a fraction, because yes there was something familiar…something she was supposed to know about him.

Before she could pinpoint what it was, exactly, there was a gasp and a shout, and with a loud yell, he was pulled backwards into the screaming vortex.

Elena didn't move, because she'd had this dream before and she knew this was the part where she woke up. A screeching noise came from above her, and she twisted her head up, peering into the darkened sky. The threatening clouds rumbled in warning, just as a horde of black birds streaked across the sky.

Well, that was different.

Ignoring the whirlwind in front of her, she craned her neck higher and squinted. Were those crows?

"Elena!"

She jumped, startled to see an arm stretching out of the vortex towards her. She took an uneasy step back, staring at the heavy metal ring adorned on one of his fingers.

"Don't be afraid," a man's voice said, but…no, it wasn't the same man she had been seeing every night, it wasn't the same one who had been begging her to remember…something.

"W-who are you?"

There was pause, and then she saw his form solidify as he struggled against whatever force was pulling him back. But it was clear he couldn't win, and she saw his hands clench into fists in frustration. "Elena," he turned to look at her—at least she thought he did, it was hard to see. "Come home."

"Elena, wake up!"

She gasped for air, wincing as sunlight flooded her senses. She flew upwards but someone grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. She blinked twice until Aunt Jenna's extremely worried face came into view. Elena stared at her aunt, completely taken aback by the pale, trembling woman in front of her. "Aunt Jenna? What's wrong?"

Jenna closed her eyes, a relieved sigh escaping her lips. "Thank goodness," she whispered, pulling Elena against her. "You're okay."

"I'm…" Elena's glance fell on the cell phone lying on her bedside table as it vibrated with a text. Her eyes widened, "So late!" She pushed her aunt away reproachfully, "It's 7:45! I'm gonna be late for school! Why didn't you wake me?"

At her words, the concern crept back into Jenna's face. "One," she said, trying to smile and failing miserably, "It's Saturday."

"Oh," Elena frowned, touching her forehead absentmindedly. "I must have forgotten."

"Two," Jenna continued, slightly louder than before, "School ended last week." She gazed at her niece and suddenly reached out to grasp her forearms tightly, "Don't you remember?"

"Yes," Elena said quickly, unnerved. "Sorry…I'm just…a little out of it, I guess." When Jenna didn't relax her grip, she shrugged and added casually. "I just had a really weird nightmare, that's all."

This was, apparently, the wrong thing to say.

"A nightmare?" If anything, Jenna's skin paled even further. "Another one?"

Elena opened and then closed her mouth, thinking furiously. Had she already mentioned her recurring nightmares to her aunt? She didn't remember saying anything…

"What do you mean?"

At that, Jenna straightened, blinking rapidly. "Just, when you were younger," she said hastily, "You used to have nightmares."

Elena waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure most kids do," Elena replied, nonplussed. Her aunt smiled at her weakly.

"Well," Aunt Jenna clapped her hands together briskly, abruptly appearing to pull herself together. "There's a lot to do before tonight, so let's get a move on." She paused at the door, "Are your friends coming over to help?"

Elena's palms began to sweat as she cast her mind frantically for what else she could've possibly forgotten. "Um," she stalled, grabbing her phone and glancing at the text she had received earlier.

FROM: MATT
Can't make it to the party tonight.

"The party?"

"Yes," Jenna said impatiently, "Are any of them coming to help set up for the party?"

"I don't know," Elena replied distractedly, "But Matt said he can't make it."

Her aunt's face tightened briefly. "I know he's your ex and all, but I had hoped you two had remained close enough friends that he would make it to your 18th birthday." She stopped suddenly, an arrested look crossing her face. "I forgot to tell you, I saw his mother at the Grill last night!"

18th birthday.

Something snagged at the edges of her memory. Something that she was supposed to remember. Unbidden, pleading green eyes flashed across her mind's eye. You have to remember!

"Hmm," Elena said noncommittally in response to her aunt's proclamation. Then as the morning's confusion began to clear, her eyes snapped forward in attention. "Wait, did you say Matt's mom?! What is she doing in town? She hasn't set foot in this town since she took off on them…what's it been? 6 years?"

"8 years ago," Jenna corrected with undisguised disdain. "She greeted me like we were old friends." She paused and then added offhandedly, "That bitch."

Elena grinned.

"Don't worry about Matt," she reassured her aunt as she got out of bed, "It doesn't matter to me if he's there or not. What's important to me is that you and Jeremy are there."

"Speaking of which," Jenna disappeared to go bang on Jeremy's door. "Wake up sleepyhead, lots to do to get ready for Elena's birthday party tonight!"

"Go away," Jeremy's annoyed voice echoed down the hallway, "It's Saturday!"

Elena rolled her eyes and shut her door to block out the rest of the argument. As she grabbed the sheets off her bed, something tumbled down to the floor and landed with a loud thunk under the bed.

She grumbled in exasperation and got on her knees, reaching blindly under the bed to see what had fallen. Her fingers finally clasped around something metallic and she pulled it out.

Her heart swung erratically as soon as she laid the object on her palm, the cool metal stinging against her skin. The blue stone set in some sort of crest winked up at her innocently. She'd never seen it before tonight, but there was no doubt it was the same one.

The ring from her dream.