hope you enjoy the second installment of this story. thank you for all your wonderful reviews for the last chapter. i'm sorry i didnt get a chance to send out review replies to everyone's. but i really appreicated hearing such wonderful things about the story. they definitely motivated me to write this. Let me know what you think about this one. and i hope to have the next one out in the next few days. Thank you :)

I own nothing

PS everyone please read "sisters, brothers, lives and lies" by harlcoop98. it's a very good first story by my cousin. she's new to fanfiction, and would really love to hear what you all have to say about her chapters.

130 years later

Elena was walking through Mystic Falls one warm, July morning. She had been living there for around a year, and couldn't believe she spent over a century away from there. It was home, that much couldn't be denied. She had lived in so many places; places that were bigger, and more beautiful, and more of everything than Mystic Falls. But yet no matter what Mystic Falls still called to her. She smiled when she saw Jeremy and Bonnie walk into the grill. Jeremy was her surrogate brother in many ways, she had known him since he was a baby, and Bonnie was his girlfriend. In order to keep her human façade up, she needed a cover story, so Jeremy was her brother and Bonnie was her friend.

"Hey guys." she said running over to them.

"Hey Elena. What's up?" Jeremy asked.

"Not much. Just marvelling at how happy I am to be home." she said offhand.

"Why don't you join us? We were just getting something cool to drink." Jeremy said pointing to the extra chair at the table.

"Thanks." Elena said sitting down. Back when she was human, Elena had an older brother who had moved away before their parents had died. Jeremy was one of his descendents, but regardless, he was more like a brother to Elena. He accepted her for what she was, knowing she would never hurt anyone.

"For the record, I'm so happy you're still here Elena. Usually you're gone after a few weeks." he said.

"Oh Jer, I think its time for me to settle down. I mean I am 147." she said jokingly.

"Ha ha. You might now want to say that too loud." he said.

"Oh I know. But honestly people in this town know people like me exist. They hunt us on TV, I mean seriously animal attacks?" she said.

"The attacks arent you are they Elena?" Bonnie asked. "Of course not. But between you and me, the attacks are going to stop now though." she said.

"Why?" Jeremy asked.

"Because I found the culprit and sent him away. He was new and he knew that I could destroy him, so he took the initiative to just leave my town. I don't need him bringing attention onto me." she said quietly.

"Good. As long as you don't do anything stupid." Jeremy said smiling at her.

"You know I wont. I love you too much." she told him.

"Good. Oh and by the way, you have to be home for dinner. Jenna invited Alaric over, and he's afraid that you hate him, since you're never at home when he's there." he said.

"I don't hate him. It's just that he hates vampires, and I am one. It would make for an awkward conversation. And besides, its hard for me to look at him, when I hear the things that go one behind closed doors when those two are together, much clearer than you do." she said wincing.

"I don't even want to know." Jeremy said.

"Good, I wasn't even going to mention it." she told him.

"Good." Jeremy nodded. Elena sat at the table, enjoying Jeremy and Bonnie's company, but somewhere in her mind a very different face flooded into her mind. This face popped up occasionally throughout the last 130 years, but more so now that she was living here again. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Him, being Damon Salvatore. Idly, she wondered if he had any family alive here. The century after she left him was the hardest, but she promised herself when she left, that she would live her life well for Damon. But even today she had never found a man that could take Damon's place in her heart, she didn't think she ever would.

The blue Camaro, soared down the streets heading into Mystic Falls. He didn't know what was slowly drawing him back home, but he was sure as hell going to find out. He didn't know what it was, but he needed to come home. Although he was certain that it wouldn't be home without Elena. He hadn't had Elena in over a century and it still hurt. To this day he didn't understand why she left, the note she left was very vague. And he spent the next 20 years searching for her. He stopped at 20, knowing it was futile, if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be found. In the past century, he roamed the planet aimlessly, not sure of what he was looking for. Upon arriving in Mystic Falls, he drove immediately to the Salvatore Boarding House, which had been in his family for decades. Knowing he needed an invitation, he knocked on the door, waiting for Zack to open the door. He knocked repeatedly, when the door finally opened.

"Damon, I wasn't expecting you." Zack said upon opening the door.

"I know. You know its funny, we have never officially met, but yet you know me." Damon said smirking leaning against the door.

"I've been made aware of you. I know what you are. And I also know that I have no choice but to let you in because its technically your house, and I am merely here to invite you in." he said.

"Yes, now invite me in." Damon said.

"Fine. Do you have to be invited in all the time?" Zack asked.

"No. Only once. Once you do it, I can come and go as I please." he said.

"You may come in Damon." Zack said reluctantly, not really wanting a vampire living with him.

"Thank you Zack." he said walking across the threshold and speeding up the stairs. He went into his bedroom, and dropped his bag on the bed. Deciding to wait to unpack, he went back out to his car and pulled his cooler out of the trunk. Bringing the cooler into the house, he proceeded to place all his bags of blood into the fridge, leaving Zack with a disgusted look on his face.

"Would you rather it was you I was eating Zack?" Damon asked seeing the look on his face.

"What? No of course not." he said.

"Well then be happy I rob blood banks." he said going back to his task. Now that he was back in Mystic Falls, the only face he could see in his mind was Elena. It had been 130 years and he still couldn't get over her. All he wanted was to forget her but no matter how many women he was with, he couldn't forget her. And he hated it.

Elena and Jeremy walked into the house after they had their drink at the Grill.

"Elena, Jeremy is that you?" Jenna called.

"Yeah." Jeremy and Elena called back in unison.

"Good. Elena, I think you should tell Alaric." Jenna said quietly.

"You do? He wont be happy." Elena said.

"I know. But he thinks you don't like him. And it's driving him crazy." Jenna argued.

"If you think it's the right things to do, then I'll do it." Elena relented.

"It is. He knows about the existence of vampires, so it shouldn't be that much of a shock." she said.

"Okay. By the way, I got rid of the one that has been the reason for all the "animal attacks" recently." Elena said offhand.

"How did you do it?" Jenna asked.

"Honestly. I had a good firm talk with him, considering I have at least 100 years on him." she said.

"Good, at least you didn't kill him." Jenna said relieved.

"That was option 2." Elena alerted her.

"Oh. Ric's here." she said glancing out the window. Seconds later, Alaric was walking through the door. He immediately went to kiss Jenna before turning around.

"Elena. It's nice to see you." he said nicely.

"You as well." Elena said aware she was being formal. Jeremy glanced at Elena at the way she was talking.

"So how are you?" Alaric asked trying to make conversation.

"Very good. You?" she asked.

"Good. Although I kinda feel like you don't like me." he said trying to get an answer out of her.

"That's not true Ric. It's just that I'm trying to protect you." she said honestly.

"What are you talking about." he asked.

"Dinner's served." Jenna said breaking up the conversation, thinking it might be easier to get him to swallow the news if he was eating when it came.

"This is delicious." Elena said eating the dinner that Jenna prepared. Although it wasn't as satisfying as blood, it was good nonetheless.

"So what were you talking about earlier?" Alaric asked.

"About what?" Elena asked.

"Protecting me." he said.

"Oh that. I'll explain. I'll start at the beginning. I was born October 1846 Alaric. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked trying to tell him as easily as possible.

"Are you… You cant be… A vampire… Can you?" he spluttered out.

"I'm sorry Ric. But I can assure you I'm not dangerous. I've spent the last century perfecting my ability to abstain from killing. The animal attacks in the woods weren't me. That vampire left town at my insistence. I'm harmless." she insisted.

"I'm sorry. I really am. It's just hard for me to listen to, I mean my wife was killed by a vampire." he said.

"I'm sorry, Alaric." she said.

"It's okay. I'll just forget about it. At least I know, you don't hate me. If you did, I would be dead." he said trying to joke. Elena laughed lightly trying to diffuse the sudden tension in the room. It worked and Jeremy changed the subject to the classes that Alaric taught at the school. The rest of the evening without problems.

The next day, Elena offered to do the grocery shopping for Jenna while she was at class. She needed something to do with her copious amounts of free time. She didn't have a job, she didn't need one, with over a century of money in her bank account. She was pushing her cart down the aisles, ignoring all the hungry glances of the men in the store. Of course she knew she was beautiful, and she had more than her share of offers but she always turned them down. One particularly annoying guy was following her down the aisles, and she felt her defences raising. It was not a good idea to follow a vampire. She finished her shopping as fast as she could, before pushing the cart back to her car. But for the first time in 130 years when she got outside her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't breathe. Because across the street heading into the Grill walked no other than Damon Salvatore. At least she thought it was him, same brown hair, same build. She needed to know, so after putting the groceries into the trunk she calmly walked over to the Grill. She saw him up at the bar, ordering a drink from a very interested female bartender. She honed in on their conversation, and he heard him send her away. His voice made her week in the knees, and it not being him was looking more unlikely the longer she watched him. His voice was still the deep husky voice she fell in love with years ago. As confidently as she could she started walking over to him before chickening out and running in the opposite direction.

He turned his head, feeling someone watching him. It wasn't like it was a rare occurrence but these eyes felt different. He turned his head, catching the smallest glimpse of her face, before she turned and fled faster than was humanly possible. This obvious vampire had the face of the girl he had never stopped loving. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe how he felt right at that moment. Elena Gilbert was alive. Elena Gilbert was a vampire and probably had been the entire time they had known each other, as she looked exactly the same as she did 130 years ago. Leaving his drink untouched he left the Grill, hoping she hadn't got that far away. He needed to at least see her, whether or not she wanted anything from him now. When he got out, he saw her standing only a few feet away. With as much confidence as he could muster he walked over to her.

"Elena Gilbert. It's nice to see you." he said.