Elena changed her clothes three times that morning. Graduation day. Her childhood was officially over today, even though it had felt very much like it had ended the day her parents had died. The last couple years had been filled with life and death decisions and responsibilities she'd never thought to have taken on. But she had never missed her parents or her Aunt Jenna as much as she did now.

Jeremy rapped on the door and peeked inside. "Stefan's here. You look fine. You're just gonna cover everything up with your cap and gown anyway." He said grinning.

Elena made a face at him and stuck out her tongue.

"Yeah." Jeremy said as he started to walk away. "You're all grown up now." He laughed as he made his way down the stairs. "She'll be down in a minute. "

Stefan nodded. "Thanks."

"So you're moving in after this." Jeremy asked.

Stefan nodded. "Well, after the wedding." They had decided to keep it small and simple. It didn't need to be a grand society event. With that in mind and Mrs. Lockwood offering up one of the towns many historical sites as the location, they were most of the way to planned and executed. Within a month they would be Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Salvatore.

He'd even managed to talk Damon into staying in town long enough for graduation and the wedding derailing his vacation plans. Stefan knew that once Damon left town it would be years before he'd be back, regardless of the house he and Alexandra were having built.

"Cool" Jeremy said. "Matt and I will redo Mom and Dad's room while you two are on your honeymoon. There is no reason you shouldn't be in there. Besides it means I don't have to share a bathroom anymore."

Jeremy had thought about just moving in with Matt and telling them they could stay at Stefan's place, but then the family home would be empty. Instead he figured once they'd gotten over thinking he needed parental substitutes he'd just invite Matt and maybe Caroline and Tyler to move in with him.

Simpler all around.

Elena came down the stairs, dressed in a blue dress that would fade away beneath the robe she draped over her arm. She carried her cap in her hand. "Hi." She said smiling at Stefan. One step closer to being married. One hurdle almost gone.

Stefan smiled warmly and offered his hand. "I think we might still make it in time." He teased.

"You're as bad as Jeremy." She said swatting his arm playfully.

A stage had been erected at the park. Two sections of chairs sat before it. One for precisely every graduating senior from Robert E. Lee High School, and one for family and friends. Damon looked around at the gathering crowd.

He stood to the side with Alexandra for the time being as she mingled with the other teachers. She was saying goodbye as well as discussing the students.

They had yet to decide how long they would be gone. It had taken them long enough to decide their itinerary. Neither of them wanted to tackle the length of their stay. It wasn't as easy to come to a mutual decision since she'd let him go. Strangely enough it wasn't shaking the foundations of their relationship as much as he had feared. The one thing they had decided was that she wasn't going to be teaching any longer when they returned. She had other plans and had purchased Jeremy's fathers offices with plans to turn it back into an apothecary … at least on the surface.

He smiled as Liz Forbes approached him. "I do believe you are out of uniform." He said "You look good."

"I don't think Caroline would ever forgive me if I showed up armed with a radio on my hip." She said. She scanned the crowd. Something felt off, but she put it aside. She wasn't there to work. No one would try anything at a graduation ceremony attended by most of the town.

"You feel it too." He said and sighed. "I have three weeks, two days and forty five minutes before I leave. Whatever it is can either do what it's going to and get it over with or it can wait until I get back."

Liz laughed. "Have the countdown going already I see. " She said. "It's not going to be the same without you here. It will probably be quieter, but you'll be missed."

"You can trust Stefan." He told her. "He'll take up the slack while I'm gone. After his honeymoon anyway."

She shook her head. "I think I can manage without Salvatore backup for a few weeks. When are you and Alexandra coming back?"

"No clue. We're planning to be gone at least for the summer. It will take that long to truly enjoy Rome much less the rest of Italy." He said. "And then to be fair we're going to France. I don't know why, we've already been there. Apparently she thinks it's changed since then."

Alex joined them "Considering we fled just ahead of the Nazi occupation… yes I think it's changed a bit since 1940." She said laughing quietly. "Not everywhere can be as static as Mystic Falls. It looks like the students are all arriving. We should probably grab our seats while we can."

Damon held out his arms for the ladies and escorted them both to their seats. He thought it strangely appropriate that he and Caroline's mother be seated together. He nodded to Jeremy who caught up to them and sat on the other side of Alexandra.

"Elena finally decided what dress to wear. " He said "So they are actually here. I thought for a while they would be late while she went through her closet again." Jeremy too scanned the crowd. Not looking for trouble, just looking to see who was there from his own class, who was back in town for the festivities. He sighed when he spotted her. "Great. Matt's mom is here." He muttered.

"Well," Alexandra said. "It's sort of a damned if she is, damned if she isn't situation. Hopefully she won't cause much drama and will be on her way after tonight." She had heard enough about Matt's mother that she hoped she just let herself be seen and faded into the woodwork without even speaking to her son. It would be the kindest thing she could do. Mothers however weren't always looking to be kind.

Another mother stood slightly out of sight of the crowd, lingering back in the trees that lined the parks well-manicured lawns.

"Why are we here?" Marco Andreassi asked looking out into the masses. He could see Damon and the Sauveterre woman. He wondered why his mother didn't make herself known to them, but had learned long before coming of age that you did not question his mother's motives or actions.

"We are here to watch your baby brother graduate from high school today. " She said with a faint smile. "I missed a great deal of his growing up thanks to Portia's betrayal. Thank you for dealing with her." Madelena said smiling as the students filed out to take their seats in a well ordered procession.

She spotted Stefan and sighed. "There is so much of his father in his features."

"The older one has your look about him." Marco said. That one at least looked as if he could be his brother.

"Yes he does. The exact image of my father, really. "She said her eyes drifting to Damon and Alexandra. The Sauveterre's were a strong bloodline. She'd allow the relationship to continue. It would be an advantageous paring once her plans came to fruition.

"Are you sure he is worth the effort? We know nothing about who he is now." Marco asked quietly.

"He will be who I make him. It's the one advantage of his unfortunate affliction." She said. "He has no ability to resist."

Her eldest son nodded in agreement. The vampiric mind was weak by nature. The bloodlust ate at the cognitive functions leaving them little more than rudimentary impulses really. If he had his way, his mother would remove all the memories after the Petrova bitch had turned him and cut her losses.

There had been no meaningful change since that time, and perhaps she could salvage something from what was left. As for the youngest of the line, perhaps he'd make a useful servant to someone.

It was a seemingly endless string of speeches, and presentations, music and prayers. By the time the students had actually begun filing up one by one in alphabetical order to receive their diplomas even the most die hard attendee was shifting uncomfortably in their seats and longing for a graceful exit.

Damon looked around, having that feeling of being watched again. Not now, he thought. Not when I'm almost out from under this town and all of its ghosts literal and figurative. His features hardened as he spotted Kol. He and Elijah were among the crowd, watching as Rebecca walked forward to receive her diploma, clapping enthusiastically as though it really mattered to them.

Alex put her hand over his, twining their fingers together. "Ignore them. We're leaving soon and they won't matter anymore." She whispered in a tone soft enough that only he could hear.

He gave her an attempt at a brief smile and squeezed her hand lightly before turning his attention forward once again. He made a production of cheering Stefan on when he received his diploma. Not that he thought it mattered in the slightest, but because it was a bit of harmless embarrassment for his brother. Besides, wasn't that what was expected?

He grinned as the younger man blushed and gave him a warning glance that only served to make him want to press the envelope. However he held himself in check, not out of respect for Stefan but for the women seated on either side of him. Both of whom were laughing into their hands.

Madelena laughed as well. Her boys weren't as lost to her as she had feared. In spite of their affliction there was enough left to perhaps be salvaged. "Don't be so stuffy." She told Marco. " Damon used to love embarrassing Stefan. It was one of his favorite games. And Stefan enjoys it as much as Damon does."

Marco barely held his tongue. But he supposed after so long locked away from any stimuli watching the puppies play would be entertaining. He had to be careful. One of those puppies might very well still be his mother's favorite and being a vampire wouldn't change that. The thought of calling a vampire brother was enough to give him hives and he had two of them. If he could murder Katerina Petrova he would. Vampires loved to get their hands on a necromancer's family and turn them in vengeance. He had no doubt that was the case here.

Damon was still laughing when they entered the boarding house. "You should have seen the look on your face." He said "Fortunately I think about a hundred people got it on film."

"No one uses film anymore." Stefan said.

"Well I wouldn't say that."

"Who the hell are you?" Damon asked looking at the stranger standing in the parlor.

"I was meaning to talk to you about that." Stefan said.

"Him first." Damon said.

"I'm Joshua. Zack's brother." He said. "I can't say I'm surprised you don't recognize me, Uncle Damon. It's been a very long time."

Damon rolled his eyes. He did not need this. "And now you are going to tell me why we are being invaded by Dad's by blows?

"I'm not that old," Josh said laughing a little, "and my parents were married. I'll be in the office Uncle Stefan." He said leaving the room. "There's cake and what have you in the dining room.

Congratulations" He called as he went down the hall.

Damon looked at Joshua's retreating back as if he were one of Alexandra's visiting apparitions. "What the hell?"

"No one is going to be here for weeks, maybe months. I thought it was a good idea to have someone to look after the boarding house." Stefan said. "And besides there's only a few years we can really stay in town before the rest of the town starts to notice we aren't aging. "

Damon scowled but nodded. "Yeah, alright." He said. "So long as he doesn't start feeling entitled and forgetting his place. "

"What place is that Damon?" Stefan asked.

"Spare parts, caretaker, unimportant little human spawned from a murderous bastard and his vacuous bimbo. " Damon said bluntly. "I don't want to have to explain myself to him or his offspring in twenty years because he doesn't like that things get messy when vampires are in town."

"He's not Zack. " Stefan said.

"He's his brother." Damon pointed out.

Stefan laughed then. "Right, think about what you just said and then relax and have a good time. There is cake apparently and we're going to have a house full in a few minutes. Just … try and have a good time in spite of the fact that Joshua reminds you of Vincent."

"That's what it is!" He said. "You're right He does look like Victoria's bastard child. That alone is enough to get him a sympathy pass for the next, I don't know… fine I won't kill him until after I get back from my vacation."

"Nice. Thank you." Stefan said.

"Cake huh. " Damon said heading into the dining room. He looked at the spread and nodded. "Okay he's not a completely clueless idiot." Everything was elegantly laid out and not designed for the average teenaged pallet.

"I think we should invite him to join us." Stefan said, and laughed again under Damon's glare. "It's my graduation party." He pointed out. Another glare from his brother.

"Fine." Damon said again. "But not until everyone else is here. I don't want to mingle."

"Oh that looks good." Alexandra said as she entered the dining room. She slipped her arms around Damon, and kissed him. "Food looks good too" She said. He was tense and it was obvious. "Elena and Jeremy are right behind me. Meredith said that she will be a little late. She had a patient drop into the office at the last minute. "

Stefan nodded. "That's okay. Caroline and Tyler are going to be here later as well. Their mothers are taking them out to a late lunch to celebrate. "

"With any luck Matt will be able to ditch his mom fairly quickly." Damon said. "What? Mothers aren't high on my priority list right now. So how long before this turns into another version of Elena's birthday party?"

"I give it until about seven or so when the kids finally achieve escape velocity from all the family celebrations. "Stefan said.

"Which will be our cue to vacate, after all Stefan has Joshua here to help protect the place." Damon said

Elena and Jeremy joined them "Oh good he made it." Elena said. "Isn't he going to join us?" She asked and left the room to go in search of the latest addition to the family.

"You told her before me?" Damon asked "Shame on you."

Dr. Meredith Fell was more than happy to stay late in the office. The moment her license was no longer under investigation she was back at work. She'd opened a small private practice in addition to her hours at the hospital. She loved her job and was relieved to not be limited to patching up the supernatural side of town any longer.

She was even more pleased when she had opened her examination room to find her new patient waiting there. He was attractive, dark hair, pale blue eyes and the most dazzling smile she had ever seen. The sort of smile that made you believe it was just for you. Oh yes, this young man was trouble. She had no doubt of it, and for all of that she didn't mind. After all what was a little friendly flirtation over a bad case of poison ivy? How much trouble could a girl get into after all?

"If I didn't know better, Mr. Andrews, I would say you rolled in the stuff." She said looking him over.

"Please, call me Marc." He said, and smiled at her again. "And to be honest I did. After tripping and falling … and then came the rolling down the hill right through the worst of it. We won't talk about the black berries, or what I had to crawl through to get back up to the trail. "

She did her best not to laugh. Her best wasn't good enough. "You were out near the falls weren't you? Next time take the left hand path it's less treacherous." She told him."We had a bad rain storm a couple months ago. It washed out a lot of the more challenging hiking trails around here. Not to mention a few back roads. "

"I heard about that. " he said. "It sounds like you know the area pretty well."

"I grew up here. " She said. "The statue in the park is one of my great etc grandmothers. In case you haven't noticed there isn't a lot to do in Mystic Falls other than hike and swim and the occasional movie."

"I don't mind." He said. "I like the quiet. " He said as she treated the worst of the rash.

"Are you visiting?" She asked.

"Relocating." He said. "It's a short commute to the college where I work."

"Teacher?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Research. " He said. "I'm an anthropologist. Currently my studies are local. "

Meredith smiled. "I almost went the anthropology or archeology route. But half way through my freshman year I changed my mind. I wanted to spend more time with the living I suppose."

"There is a great deal to be learned from the dead." Marc said. "Fortunately I have promised myself to take the advice of a friend and spend more time amongst the living myself." He smiled, "when this clears up, " He indicated the rash, "Maybe you'd be willing to be my native guide."