Hello all! Sorry for such a long break between chapters! Wasn't last night's episode fabulous? Well, if you liked last night's ep, I have a feeling you'll like this chapter (if you like Jeremy/Anna- I wrote this chapter about a week ago and have been editing it, and was so surprised the similar themes!). Anyway, THANK YOU AGAIN for the multitude of reviews, and enjoy the chapter!


Later that night, Jeremy was doing homework. It wasn't something he wanted to be doing, but it forced his thoughts away from his sister. He was finishing up his geometry and moving onto history when he heard a shriek come from Aunt Jenna. Nearly tripping over his chair, Jeremy dashed out of his room, rushing to the top of the stairs.

Jeremy looked down, and instead of seeing Aunt Jenna being massacred by vamps, like Jeremy had feared, he found her tightly embracing Elena. Damon stood beside her like her bodyguard, while- Jeremy swallowed hard- Anna hovered in the background.

What did Anna have to do with Damon and Elena? Jeremy jumped to the immediate conclusion. No way, he thought quickly. That's crazy. Anna's my friend! She can't be a vampire- except for that thing with her eyes, and her interest in Johnathan Gilbert's journal…

Her eyes lifted to meet his. Anna smiled, and Jeremy felt a surge of fear and lust. He'd always thought she was cute, especially when she smiled.

"Jeremy!" Jenna called, her voice bridging on hysterically happy. "Elena's here! Come downstairs!"

He trotted down the stairs, wondering why Elena could possibly want to visit the house. "Hi, little brother," Elena greeted him.

Jeremy couldn't tell if the warmth in her eyes was fake or real. He waved to her from a reasonable distance. "Hi."

Normally Jenna would have gotten on Jeremy's case about being antisocial, but she was too busy squealing over Elena to notice. "I am very, very glad that you are home safe and sound," she told her niece, "but you have some serious explaining to do about where you've been the past two days."

Elena stepped inside the house; Anna and Damon followed, and he closed the door behind him. Her smile was smugly defiant. "I don't think so, Aunt Jenna." She sniffed the air, and her smile grew. "Forgot your perfume today?"

Jenna looked confused. "Perfume? I've been so worried I almost forgot to brush my teeth this morning! What are you-"

"Let me feed from you, Jenna," Elena said. Jeremy watched as her eyes dilated, and Jenna's body suddenly stiffened.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jeremy exclaimed, moving towards his aunt. But he'd barely walked two steps before Anna's fine-boned arms were wrapped around him, halting him in his tracks. Her grip on him was iron-clad, assuring him that she was, in fact, a vampire. "Elena, stop it!"

Jenna's back was to Jeremy, and he watched as she walked towards Elena, her neck tilted. The vampiress's smile grew, and her features shifted into her vampiric ones. Red eyes gleaming, she tore into her aunt's neck.

Jeremy continued to fight through Anna's grip, but she was too strong. Damon sauntered over to him, inhaling deeply. "Don't you love the smell of blood in the air? Well, I guess you'll learn to love it," he said as Jeremy glared at him.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Damon shrugged with his usual coy smile, his eyes suddenly locked on Jeremy's wrist. "And I'll be taking that," he said, loosening the woven bracelet from his wrist. He sniffed it and made a disgusted face, before he tossed it away.

"Vervain?" Anna asked. The vampire nodded.

Elena pulled away from Jenna's neck, licking her mouth like a satisfied cat. "Damon? Want a taste?"

The vampire turned away from Jeremy, walking back towards Elena. He began to struggle against Anna's hold again. "Don't fight, Jeremy. We're not going to hurt you," she said.

His gaze, locked on Damon compelling Jenna again and sinking his teeth into her wrist, now turned to Anna. She still looked the unassuming girl he'd always pegged her to be. A little offbeat, maybe, but not a member of the undead. "You're a vampire."

Anna smiled. "I always knew you were bright."

He scoffed. "What are you doing with Elena and Damon?"

"The three of us all have a beef with a certain Stefan Salvatore. This is Step One in our plan."

"Anna!" Damon called to her. He peered over at her and Jeremy over Jenna's neck. "Hungry?"

"Don't we want to keep her alive?" Anna shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

Damon shrugged and pulled his phone from his pocket. "I've got a little phone call to make."

Elena nodded, and Damon moved into the living room. She turned to her aunt. "Help me find some rope," she said, her pupils shifting.

Jeremy watched as Jenna walking like a zombie out of the living room, Elena trailing her. "You're not gonna kill her?" he said softly.

Anna shook her head. "We need her alive, don't worry. None of us are going to hurt her."

Some relief flooded through him at that, and Jeremy took in a deep breath. "Good." His eyes met Anna's, and a burning question rose to the surface. "So what did you see in me?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"I mean, you're a vampire. You're super strong- you know, clearly- and I'm sure you've got a bunch of other powers, too. Plus immortality. So, with all that, why hang out with me?"

Anna hesitated. "Well, at first all I wanted was Jonathon Gilbert's journal. But then I got to know you… and I saw some of myself in you. Losing your parents is hard. Losing them when you're so young… it-" She paused for a moment, and her face seized with restrained emotion, as if she was trying to hold a storm's worth of tears. She swallowed and regained her composure. "I could relate. I knew that pain." She laughed. "And all this time, you thought I was just a crazy homeschool girl."

"No. Well, I mean, I thought you were crazy," Jeremy said, reconsidering his words. "But in an endearing way." He paused, before adding, "And cute."

Anna looked at him, and Jeremy noticed for the first time how mature she looked, despite her petite frame. "You mean that?"

Jeremy nodded. "Well," Anna said with a smile, "I thought the same thing."

"Anna." She and Jeremy turned to look at Elena, who had moved away from Jenna's body. "Can I talk to my brother alone for a minute?"

The other vampiress released Jeremy and walked away without a word. Elena turned back to her brother, who continued to stand motionless in the center of the room. "Jeremy-"

"Why are you doing this, Elena?" His tone was cold. "What was the point of coming back and messing around with Jenna?"

"Jenna's going to be fine," Elena told him testily. "I came back for you."

He stared at her, gape-mouthed. "Me?"

"Of course! After Mom and Dad died, you were sort of-" Jeremy looked away from his sister, uninterested in hearing what choice adjective she'd use to sum up his days of drug use and casual sex. Elena paused, trying to choose the right words. "You got a little lost. So did I. I think the one thing we had going for us was that we had each other." Jeremy nodded in agreement. "And that's why I couldn't leave you behind."

"Wait." Jeremy frowned, confused. "Are you kidnapping me?"

Elena laughed. "No." She looked into Jeremy's eyes, and he watched her pupils dilate. "I'm changing you."

"Elena-" But he suddenly fell silent. Jeremy's gaze never left his sister's dark eyes. He allowed her to lead him to the couch, where they both sat down.

She brought her wrist to her mouth and tore it open with her teeth. Elena extended her bleeding arm to her brother. "Drink."

Without a second thought, he lifted her wrist to his mouth and drank deeply. At first it tasted metallic and lukewarm- but on the second sip, the taste became sweeter and more nectar-like. Jeremy was unaware of the passage of time as the blood flowed through his mouth and down his throat. The next thing he knew, Elena was tearing her wrist away.

"Wow," he said through blood-stained lips. "Does it always taste like that?"

His sister smiled smugly. "It usually tastes better."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "So when does it happen? When do I change?"

"Right now," he heard Anna say from behind. Jeremy felt two hands grasp his neck, and then he knew nothing else.

"Anna! What the hell are you doing?" Elena leaped up from the couch as Jeremy's lifeless body fell to the floor.

"Just moving the process along. You want him awake sooner rather than later, don't you?"

"I guess," Elena said, shooting a curious look at Anna.

The other vampiress couldn't hide her smile. "What can I say? I like the kid. I can't wait to see what he's like when he wakes up."