Different Circumstances

A bit of background: Elena grew up in Mystic Falls, was told about her adoption and, being a founding family member, was eventually told about vampires too. However, coincidentally, neither of the Salvatore brothers returned to Mystic Falls until she had already left for college. Basically, she never had to deal with any vampires or the rest of the craziness in the series (except for the death of her parents and her rebellious little brother). So… No Originals (so far - we'll see what happens) and no travellers either. In fact, she and Katherine simply look alike, not identical. She's now returned home to start at Mystic Falls High School as an English/History teacher. For now, most of the characters are either still studying or have moved to big cities for work. We'll be seeing Bonnie (flashback to the beginning of season one and you'll remember the psychic and witchy talk but she didn't want to delve into it any further. Elena doesn't know anything more about witches than that) and I love Caroline but we probably won't see her – at least not for a while. We'll see what happens.

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing the characters for fun.

Relief. That's what Elena was feeling as she passed the familiar scenery, slowly making her way to the street on which she grew up. She peered out of the windscreen, looking at all of the familiar houses and streets, feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It had been so long since she had come to stay and she was suddenly regretting taking all of the summer classes that prevented her returning home over the breaks. As it was, she had only managed to return home with less than a week before she was needed for teacher planning and induction days at Mystic Falls High.

Eventually, Elena pulled up in front of the house. She was still deep in thought as she climbed out of the car, staring up at the house that held so many memories – but it was different now. Her memories were all positive. While still missing her parents and thinking of them every day, she now found that the sad memories had developed into fondness and a sense of remembering only the good, happy times she shared with them rather than the grief.

She was still standing next to the car, staring at the house, when she heard a cheerful voice call her name. Almost running down the front path, a huge smile on her face, her belly bulging and happiness seemingly radiating from her, was Aunt Jenna. Smiling, Ric followed closely behind Jenna. Wanting nothing more than a hug from a family member, Elena happily accepted Jenna's embrace, noticing just how large her baby bump had grown.

"My gosh, Jenna, you look ready to burst!" Elena hadn't seen Jenna since she heard the wonderful news of the coming baby. Jenna laughed at her niece's remark.

"Give me one more month and I just might! I'm looking like a whale at the moment though." Jenna joked, slapping her belly to emphasise her roundness. Elena laughed at her aunt. Phone conversations are one thing but she hadn't seen Jenna in such a long time. A catch up on the phone would never be the same as a hug.

"Look at you, though, you're practically glowing." Elena commented, determined to convince Jenna that the pregnancy was agreeing with her and she did not, in fact, look like a whale.

"Don't tell her that or she'll want more than one!" Ric said, finally joining the excited women who were still standing next to the car.

"Ric!" Elena cheered, catching Jenna's cheerfulness like a contagious disease and jumping at him to give him a hug. Then, in a mock serious tone, Elena added, "Suck it up, boy. You've got plenty more babies to make. I want lots of little cousins running around here!" She turned back to the car to get her bags out but Ric and Jenna didn't notice. They simply stood there, momentarily stunned. Though they knew Elena was joking, they had never seen this side of her before. She'd certainly grown up in the last few years. The flicker of confidence Elena had in her back when she was in high school had turned into a full-blown flame and they were both impressed. Eventually, after pulling all of her bags out of the car, Elena noticed her aunt and Ric weren't talking.

"What?" Elena asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Someone's got spunk now!" Jenna teased, tossing Elena a grin.

"Me? No, I don't." Elena replied reflexively.

"Yeah, you do, Elena." Ric said, moving to help with the bags. Both of the ladies turned to look at him. "The question is," he said, lifting a bag, "how many guys hit on you before you realised you'd have to fight them off with more than your usual kind words?" Jenna chuckled at Ric's question. She knew that at college Elena would have countless guys falling over one another to have a chance with her. And why wouldn't she? Jenna thought. Elena was a beautiful young lady who could have a chance with anyone she wanted but she also has a strong personality and strong beliefs. It was this knowledge that convinced Jenna of Elena's ability to cope with college boys.

On the other hand, Elena was rendered speechless by Ric's remark. She wanted to scold Ric for making that assumption, as harmless as it was, but she knew he was right. While at times, like most girls, she enjoyed the attention, she would certainly not miss the guys who threw themselves at her, convinced they were the most devilishly handsome men in the world. More often than not, she found that the guys who were actually seriously attractive were also seriously stupid. The greatest thing Elena Gilbert could say she learnt at college: Intelligence can be measured in many different ways…Just not by appearance. Knowing all of that, Elena hadn't noticed any changes in herself, especially not any added "spunk."

"Are you coming?" Jenna asked. Ric was already inside with an armful of Elena's luggage and Jenna was halfway up the path with one of Elena's many bags.

"Jenna, what are you doing, you crazy, pregnant lady?" Elena rushed up to her aunt and grabbed the bag she was carrying. Jenna laughed.

"Just trying to help." She said, handing the bag to her niece. "Ric doesn't let me do anything around the house anymore." She complained. Elena looked at her aunt in disbelief.

"You do know you're eight months pregnant, right? Ric's just doing the right thing."

"I know but–"

"No, no, no. I'll hear none of this." Elena cut Jenna off, smiling. "As long as Ric treats you well, you won't get any support from me." As soon as Elena had heard the wonderful news, she knew Ric would be taking good care of Jenna. She also knew what her aunt was like; one or two weeks of being taken care of would be manageable but Jenna would want no more babying than that.

Eventually, after Jenna accompanied Elena to her room, caught up with her and helped her unpack – a task Ric and Elena allowed her to do since it didn't require much heavy lifting or bending down – the two of them wandered downstairs for dinner. They were still chatting and laughing when they walked into the kitchen.

"And then he said…" Elena paused, distracted from her story by the delicious fragrances wafting around in the kitchen. "Wow, Ric, that smells amazing."

"Right?" Jenna said, clearly trying to prove a point to Ric. "See, I told you, you're a great chef." She said, hugging him and giving him a kiss.

"You're better." He said, hugging and kissing her back.

"No, I think I should stick to my specialty and you stick to yours."

With all the hugging and kissing that was going on, Elena began to feel a bit awkward. By no means did she mind that Jenna and Ric were so in love – they were so sweet together - but she decided to do something rather than standing there watching them kiss. Setting the table seemed like a good idea.

In no time at all, the three of them were sitting around the table eating the first meal they had shared in over three years. Elena hadn't felt more comfortable in a long time. This was her idea of downtime – spending some quiet time with two of the most important people in her life.

"So, five days and you'll be an actual teacher, Elena. Are you excited?" Elena groaned. As much as she loved teaching, she was looking forward to having a few days to unwind. She'd been working tirelessly over the duration of her studies and she was desperate for a break. So, was she looking forward to returning to Mystic Falls High after four years away?

"Not particularly." Elena chuckled. "I know I should be looking forward to it but I just feel like I need a break and some time to settle back in. Hopefully the next few days will be enough for that." She said between mouthfuls. "Besides, I'll have to work with that guy," she added in a theatrical whisper, motioning in Ric's direction. Jenna laughed as Ric grabbed his chest in mock heartache.

"I thought working with me was all you ever wanted!" He said, smiling at her cheek.

"I know," Jenna whispered back to Elena, "I don't know who that guy is but he seems to think he's pretty damn special."

"Says the woman who's been dating me for five years." Ric whined, sensing ahead of time that the girls were going to gang up on him until he caved. He knew they were joking but he also recognised that he wouldn't stand a chance if he tried to fight back. He might test the waters a bit later but for the time being, he felt it would be safest to just step down. This, Ric thought, is going to be the only bad thing about Elena's new confidence – it's going to be too easy for them to double-team me.

Ric was going to need another guy around more to even out the numbers. That reminded him. Damon: his partner in crime. Ric and Jenna had already discussed the topic of telling Elena about Damon and they knew they needed to let her know before she met him otherwise she probably wouldn't figure it out. Jenna didn't seem to be following Ric's train of thought though.

"So, on the phone you mentioned a barbeque? When will that be? Tomorrow?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Jenna replied, "tomorrow for dinner. It'll be a bit of a welcome home for you. We've invited some familiar faces and a few people you wouldn't know. Mostly, that'll be the people from the school, like Damon–" Jenna stopped, suddenly catching up to Ric's thoughts. She looked at him for some guidance. Elena was still enjoying her food far too much to notice that Jenna hadn't completed her thought.

"Actually, that reminds me. Damon's asked if his brother can come to the barbeque as well." Ric said. "Apparently, he's a new teacher at the school this year too." He was addressing Jenna, trying to be subtle in asking her if this was okay.

"Of course. We'll have everyone go around the side to reach the backyard anyway. That way we can avoid having unwanted visitors in the house." Jenna replied. She was hoping that, at this point, Elena might pick up on the subtle hints.

"No 'unwanted visitors.' Why don't you want anyone in the house? You sound like you're talking about vampires or something." Elena chuckled darkly. This was something she hadn't had to think about since before college. Once she left Mystic Falls, the journals of her ancestors seemed completely bizarre and imaginative. At times, she managed to convince herself that it was all make believe. After all, she'd never met a vampire. It was only the fact that Ric witnessed his wife being killed by a vampire that kept Elena believing all of it was real.

"Look, Elena, there's something we need to tell you." Ric said. His tone was light but his voice was serious enough to catch her attention. She looked between Jenna and Ric, trying to gauge the situation. When Elena recognised the serious expressions on their faces any remaining light-heartedness from before vanished.

"What is it, Ric?" She asked, now desperate to know what could be so serious. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but she had a sneaking suspicion that her worst fears were coming true. It couldn't be that the vampires she'd been trying to deny the existence of for the last four years were real and in Mystic Falls.

All pretences of light chatter given up on, Ric replied, "I have a friend at the school who is…Now, I need you to keep calm–" he paused, unsure of how she would respond to his next words.

"What, Ric?" Elena insisted, her worry growing.

The rest came out as a breath. "He's a vampire."