"162 Candles"

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Chris was in her room curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest as she thought back to what had happened a few nights ago.

Elena, Jeremy, Matt and Stefan were going to speak with Sheriff Forbes about Vicki's disappearance, but Elena told Chris to stay home while the girl simply ignored her sister.

She still hadn't forgiven her for erasing Jeremy's memories and banning her from being near the Salvatore brothers.

Looking at the clock, Chris knew that her family would be back by then and got up; going down to find Jenna was in the kitchen while Jeremy was on the couch working on a project and Elena was looking at her sister.

"Hey, Chris, wanna help me cook or should we just go get something at the Grill?" Jenna asked.

Chris remained quiet as she sat down on the couch with Jeremy who gave her a curious look as she laid her head on his arm.

He didn't remember anything from the night Vicki died except for the promise that he and Chris made to never leave each other and the memory of it made him smile and Jeremy rested his head on hers.

"Well, that's interesting." Jenna muttered as she went to the fridge to see what was inside.

Elena felt hurt that her sister didn't want to be around her, but was happy to see that Chris and Jeremy were getting closer to each other like they were when they were children.

"So why are you avoiding Elena?" Jeremy asked as they watched a random movie that was playing.

"We had a disagreement about something and she's making choices for me that I don't like." Chris answered.

Jeremy was curious, but let it go, knowing she would tell him when she wanted to and simply kissed her head making her smile.

(Hours later…)

"You're wallowing." Jenna said as he threw herself on the couch next to Elena.

Chris was busy making dinner while Jeremy was working on some books he had laid out all over the table.

"So are you." Elena retorted.

"My wallow is legitimate. I was dumped." Jenna said.

"Yeah, well, Logan's a jerk." Elena stated.

"You didn't get a brush-off e-mail saying 'I'm leaving town. See you.'" Jenna sighed.

"Wanna keep it over there?" Jeremy called.

"Why, what are you doing?" Jenna turned to him.

"Homework." Jeremy answered.

Elena then leaned up and looked over at him curiously.

"Since when do you do homework?" Elena asked.

"I gotta finish this. I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow, so…" Jeremy trailed off as he flipped through a book.

Jenna and Elena were staring at him in disbelief as Chris brought over a plate of stew for him and set it down and he nodded at her in thanks.

"What do you think? Alien?" Elena asked.

"Some sort of replicate." Jenna answered.

"He can hear you." Jeremy looked up.

"Just ignore them. Making fun of you is the way they choose to get over their break-ups." Chris advised.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what happens when you finally get a boyfriend and go through your first heartbreak." Jenna stood up to get a plate.

Elena was staring at Jeremy in confusion for how he was acting, as if there was nothing wrong and thought he would have gone back to the way he was after their parents' death.

(The next day…)

After showering and getting dressed in a light pink sundress and white sandals, Chris walked into Elena's room to find Bonnie was in there and feathers were levitating around the room.

Bonnie looked over in worry, then smiled when she saw it was only Chris who was giggling and smiling along with Elena at the sight.

"It's true, you guys. Everything my grams told me. It's impossible, and it's true. I'm a witch." Bonnie smiled.

"I believe you." Elena laughed.

The two older girls looked over to find Chris looking at the feathers as they circled around her slowly and the sunlight sun on her and the feathers making them smile as she giggled, looking truly like an angel as her brown hair shone in the light.

She was an innocent girl and they didn't want her to change even if she was reserved from other people.

Bonnie then made the feathers drop and Chris walked over to them, sitting on the bed as Elena watched them.

"You knew about this didn't you?" she asked her sister.

"Bonnie kind of set a car on fire in front of me. She turned the water on the ground into flames and they just…They were on the car, but it didn't burn or explode. It was weird, but now that the shock's gone, it was pretty cool." Chris smiled innocently.

Elena chuckled at that warmly and then she looked over at her witch friend.

"It's weird, huh? After all this time joking about being psychic…I really am a witch." Bonnie said making the girls chuckle lightly.

"You don't think I'm a freak now, do you?" Bonnie asked.

"No, of course not. Bonnie, I just—I don't understand, though. If your grams asked you to keep this a secret, why did you tell me?" Elena asked.

"Well, Chris already saw me use magic and accepted me for it and you're my best friend. I can't keep secrets from you." Bonnie answered.

This made Elena look guilty while Chris bit her bottom lip.

After Bonnie then left, Elena got showered and dressed, then went downstairs to find Chris sitting on the couch.

"Hey, I'm going to see Stefan. If you want to come, hurry up." She called.

This made the 15 year old look up in surprise, but got up and followed Elena out to the car, getting inside as her sister then drove off to the boarding house.

Once parking and getting out, Elena seemed nervous as she played with her keys and Chris linked her arm with her sister's making Elena smile down at her.

Together, they walked up to the door and Elena rang the doorbell.

"It's open. Come on in." someone called.

It sounded female much to their confusion and they opened the door and looked around when they heard footsteps.

A woman with blonde hair and brown eyes walked out from the shadows dressed in only a dark brown towel much to their shock.

The woman gasped when she saw the sisters, looking as if she saw a ghost.

"Oh, my God. How-? Uh…Who-?" she stuttered over her words.

"I'm Elena and this is my sister Chris. Who are you?" she asked.

The woman had a look on her face as if she was trying not to laugh and was angered at the same time, though the anger was directed at Elena.

"Lexi. A friend of Stefan's." she answered.

Things became awkward then which made Chris want to run.

"Is he here?" Elena asked.

"He's in the shower. Do you wanna wait?" Lexi asked as the sisters' eyes went wide.

"No." Elena shook her head.

"I'll tell him you stopped by." Lexi forced a grin.

"That's okay." Elena refused as she then walked out the door, Chris staring after her sadly as Lexi then stormed upstairs.

"I hope I never fall in love. It involves too much drama." Chris groaned as she then chased after her sister.

(That night…)

"I don't get why you're so upset. You told him you wanted nothing to do with him. You broke up with him." Chris reminded.

Jenna and Jeremy were both out so it was just the sisters home at the moment, Elena pacing the chapter as Chris watched her.

"I don't know, okay? It's just…I felt humiliated when I went there. I mean, he had a girl in a towel with him. What do you think was going on?" Elena asked.

"What do you care? You two aren't together so he's allowed to date someone else just like you are." Chris pointed out.

"I don't care. Maybe. I have no idea. It's hard to say. I-I've just never felt this way before." Elena groaned as she rested her head on the table.

Chris sat down next to her, unsure of what to say to help her sister and rubbed her back.

Even if she was mad at her sister, she would always be there for her to help her out with her problems.

The doorbell then rang and Elena got up to go answer it while Chris walked over to hide and listen in on the conversation when she saw Stefan.

"Hey." He greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked.

"Lexi said that you came by and you seemed upset." Stefan said.

"Right. The girl in the towel." Elena quipped.

"The towel?" Stefan asked sounding alarmed.

"Mm-hm." Elena nodded.

"Oh, no, no. No, no, no. Not like that. She's not exactly a girl. Lexi's, um…She's 350 years old." Stefan chuckled.

"You mean she's a-?" Elena trailed off.

"And she's my oldest friend. Nothing romantic. Ever." Stefan assured.

"Oh. Okay, well, she kept staring at me and Chris. It was weird." Elena said.

"Well, you know, I've talked about you two. A lot. So guess she felt like she knew you." Stefan said.

Chris rolled her eyes knowing there was another reason for it.

Lexi must have known Katherine and Alexandra, so seeing two girls who looked like them must have been a shock.

"So why'd you come by?" Stefan asked.

"I, uh…Chris wanted to go. You are her friend, and it didn't seem fair to not let her get to see you." Elena lied.

"That isn't all of it. Elena, talk to me." Stefan said.

"I can't. Stefan, I can't, and that's the problem. I'm keeping these secrets from everyone. I can't even tell my best friend. Do you know how hard that is?" she asked and he nodded.

"It's like I need to talk to someone and I'm happy I have Chris, but she's still a kid and I hate having her involved in this. When mom and dad died, I swore to look after her." Elena said.

"I want you to know that I will always be here for you. You can come to me about anything, okay?" Stefan asked.

"Well, thank you for coming by." Elena said.

Stefan nodded as he then went to leave, but stopped and turned to her.

"Hey, do you need a ride to the Grill tonight?" Stefan asked.

"Are you going to Caroline's party?" Elena asked.

"Lexi's dragging me. And it's my birthday." He said.

"Really? Wow, um…Happy birthday then." Elena said.

"Thank you." Stefan smiled.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna stay in tonight." She said.

"Well, can Chris at least come out? Lexi really wants to get to know her and…I haven't been much of a friend to her." Stefan said.

"Um, I'll have to ask her. Chris!" Elena called.

Chris walked over to them, smiling at them innocently.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Tonight is Stefan's birthday. He wants you to hang out with him and Lexi." Elena explained.

"Would you mind or would that be too weird?" Stefan asked.

"Nah, its fine. It might be fun." Chris said.

"Have a good night." Stefan said to Elena as the girl squeezed her sister's hand as a form of goodbye.

Stefan smiled as Chris grabbed her jean jacket and then walked out with him, both walking over to the Grill since Stefan didn't have a car to drive.

"So when Lexi looked at us, she thought we were Katherine and Alexandra didn't she?" Chris asked after a few minutes.

"How did you know?" Stefan asked.

"I told you about my dreams. I mean, I had one where Katherine fed on Alexandra and then I woke up to see Elena hovering above me. She was very confused when I screamed bloody murder at the sight of her." Chris explained.

"So you know you two look exactly like them. If you want information on that, I honestly don't know. When I first saw you, I prayed you were Allie and you acted so much like her I thought you were, but I was wrong." Stefan said with a sad look in his eyes.

This pulled at her heartstrings and made her link her arm around his as they walked over to the Grill, people laughed and drinking as they heard music playing loudly.

"She was killed by a wolf. Damon told me that." She said.

"We found her body. Katherine found it first and…she just broke down. Katherine was selfish and cruel, but when it came to Allie, she seemed to change her for the better." Stefan said as he pulled her into his side.

"I'm sorry you had to lose her." Chris said.

"It's fine. Now, let's try to forget all the dark and terrible stuff. Can you fake a smile for the world?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, I'm the master of it." Chris smirked making him grin.

They then walked inside and looked around, seeing Matt passing by and Stefan let go of Chris, walking over to the blonde.

"Matt. Just hear me out, please? I was just trying to help Vicki. I went through something similar once. I'm really sorry." Stefan apologized.

Chris hung back watching and Matt glanced over to meet her eyes that were begging him to forgive Stefan and he sighed, unable to deny her anything.

"Don't be. It's not the first time she's run off. Turns out Vicki's just like her mother. I can't count on either of them. Thanks for trying." Matt said as he then walked off.

Chris then walked up to Stefan making him look down at her.

"He's not mad at you, just at himself. He thinks he's a failure at being a brother and is hurt for always being abandoned. It has nothing to do with you personally." She assured.

"I know, it's just…I wish I could have helped Vicki better. That it didn't have to end the way it did." Stefan shook his head.

Shaking her head, Chris then grabbed Stefan's hand and started pulling him along with her and he allowed it.

"Okay, no more brooding. This is your birthday. It should be a happy occasion. We will forget about this for one night and just be at peace." She said.

He smiled at that as he wrapped an arm around her as they walked off, looking for a certain blonde other than Caroline who was speaking with Damon oddly enough.

"Finally!" Lexi exclaimed as she appeared in front of them.

"Sorry, we walked here." Stefan said.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, share the girl." Lexi held out her hands and Chris chuckled as she took the blonde's hands.

"Okay, proper introductions. I'm Alexia Branson, but call me Lexi. And you are?" she asked with a bright smile on her dark painted lips.

"Christina Gilbert, but please, call me Chris. Oh, and Elena doesn't know she looks like Katherine, so please don't tell her. She might just murder Stefan." She said.

"Cross my heart. Now, come on. To the dance floor we go." Lexi called as she pulled the girl along with her.

Stefan chuckled as he followed them as Lexi made Chris twirl with her and sway to the music, both girls laughing.

"Okay, I'm gonna need a little more foot movement." Lexi said to Stefan as she rocked to the music.

"I'm not really interested in making a fool out of myself." Stefan joked.

"Oh, that is so lame." Chris chuckled.

"Come on, you're not that bad." Lexi joked.

"Just do me a favor. Tell me if you see Damon with his camera phone." Stefan said as he took both their hands.

They all laughed as they danced together, feeling relaxed and free for a long time.

After a few minutes, they moved on to the pool table to play, Chris watching them and cheered Lexi on as she played Stefan.

"Whoo!" Lexi cheered as she sunk the ball in a hole.

"Nice." Stefan high fived her as they laughed.

"Wow, she's kicking your ass." Chris chuckled.

"Got that right." Lexi bragged.

"Here, come on and try." Stefan offered.

"I don't know how to play." Chris said as he took her hand and pulled her over.

"Come on, I'll help you. I promised to act like a better friend to you to make up from ignoring you for Elena." He said.

Reluctantly, Chris walked over and she took hold of the cue stick and tried to line up the shot, Stefan leaning over and placed his hands over her own.

"Okay, good. Relax a little bit." Stefan coached.

Lexi pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them together; smiling at how cute they looked together while she caught Elena watching them.

Hitting the white ball, Chris watched as it hit a purple ball that hit a green ball that went into one of the holes making her jump in glee.

"Hey, I did it!" she cheered.

Stefan laughed at her excitement and Lexi looked over at the Elena as she spoke with Damon who then skulked off which made the blonde suspicious.

"hey, I'm gonna get us something to drink. Tequila?" she offered

"Uh, sure." Stefan shrugged.

"Actually, a soda for me. I don't really like alcohol." Chris said.

"Wow, she's an angel." Lexi commented with a smile as she walked off.

"Why does everyone call me that?" Chris asked with a frown.

"Well, you are kind and sweet and innocent. Are you really that surprised?" Stefan asked.

Stefan then glanced over making Chris turn to see Lexi speaking with Elena, then back at Stefan to see he was looking at her, only seemed distracted.

"You're spying on them." She stated.

"Maybe." He grinned making her chuckle.

They then went back to the game, Chris trying to play properly as Stefan watched her and eavesdropped on Elena and Lexi.

Lexi soon walked over to them.

"Yep, I drank yours. Sorry." Lexi said as she came back with no shot glasses.

"Here you are." She handed the unopened can of ginger ale to Chris who took it with a smile.

"Thanks." Chris said as she opened the can and took a sip.

"Well, it wouldn't give me a buzz. Humans don't need to drink, but we vampires do. It curbs our cravings for blood. Don't worry, I'm not gonna eat you." Lexi said.

"I wasn't even worried about it." Chris shook her head.

"Thank you." Stefan smiled at Lexi.

"You weren't supposed to be listening. I was feeling epic. Whatever." Lexi smiled at him.

"I'm guessing you fixed their relationship." Chris smirked.

"Possibly, now back to the game or dancing or something else entertaining." Lexi said.

After the trio playing and laughing while pictures were taken by the blonde's phone, Lexi pulled Chris off to the bathroom to fix her make-up and pulled out her handbag.

"Okay, let me see your face." She said.

"Why?" Chris asked.

"You're a natural beauty, but I think we can make you look even more gorgeous." Lexi said.

"I never really felt comfortable from wearing make-up. Only on special events." Chris said.

Lexi held her face, looking it over and pulled out a light pink gloss and painted her lips before then using a mascara wand for her eyelashes making them look a bit longer and fuller.

"There, that's better. Now for a bit of blush. Or I could just…" Lexi trialed off as she pinched Chris' cheeks making the girl giggle.

"There, perfect." Lexi smiled seeing the girl's cheeks were now pink and warm.

"It's not much of a difference." Chris looked in the mirror.

"Not very noticeable, but people will see a bit of a difference in you. Now, come on. I have a weasel to grill." Lexi said.

They walked out and Lexi then walked over to Damon while Chris looked around to find Caroline speaking with Matt, looking close to tears.

Caroline stumbled to stand up, so Matt carried her out bridal style which made the youngest Gilbert smile at how sweet the blonde male was.

Walking over to a table, Chris then ordered some food and waited for it to come as she watched the crowd.

Bonnie was there speaking with some of the girls who were on the cheerleading team with her while Elena and Stefan were talking and playing pool together, laughing and smiling.

Suddenly, Sheriff Forbes and her deputies came in with a dark haired woman who pointed at the bar.

Warning alarms blared in Chris' mind as she watched Forbes stick Lexi with a needle while Damon jumped up, talking to Forbes who pulled the weakened Lexi away with the deputies.

Stefan and Elena tried to get out, but the cops at the door wouldn't allow it so they ran out the back and Chris followed after them.

"What's going on?" Chris asked.

"I don't know." Elena said as she held her hand and they ran off.

Exiting, they heard gun shots and quickly ran to find two deputies knocked out while Lexi had her vampire face on as she hissed at Forbes who was shooting at her.

As Lexi went to lunge at her, Damon appeared and staked her in the heart making the trio gasp in horror.

Stefan shushed the girls as he held a hand over Elena's mouth and pulled Chris' head to his chest, hiding the sight.

Lexi then began to mummify and fell down dead as Damon put the stake away and turned to the stunned sheriff.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Thank you. Get it in the car, quickly." Forbes ordered.

Holding back tears, Stefan then charged off as Elena chased after him and Chris leaned against the building as tears ran down her face.

She chocked back a sob and waited until the police left as she then walked over to the spot Lexi died, tears freely falling down her face.

Looking down, she saw a phone and picked it up, going through it to find the pictures Lexi had taken of tonight and others times with people she didn't know.

Tonight she had seen a side of Damon she hadn't yet and she didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do to change it.

(At home…)

After sobbing in the shower, Chris came out of the bathroom dressed in her pajamas and gasped when she found Stefan sitting on her bed with his head bent down.

"Stefan what are you doing here?" she asked him.

He looked up to show the tears slowly falling down his face.

"I couldn't do it. Damon has caused me so much pain over the years and killing Lexi was crossing it. I should have killed him, b-but I couldn't because I still love him. And he doesn't care." Stefan sniffled.

Holding back her own tears, Chris rushed over and hugged Stefan making him wrap his arms around her as he sobbed into her neck.

To be continued…