Disclaimer! I do not own Vampire Diaries or its drool worthy cast! However, Alex and her story is mind, so please do not 'borrow' her.

Present

Alex

It would have been easier to despise this outing if Damon didn't drive a gorgeous car. The pristine '69 Camaro made my heart flutter…Then again, that might have been a reaction to Damon's curious looks every once in awhile. His cool gaze would land on me as if he expected something to happen. It was creepy, but hanging out with the undead was always creepy.

The ten minute drive from my place to town was silent, and I liked it that way. Sadly, it could not last. Damon opened the door to the coffee shop that once was a trading post. Walking in, I half expected the old post master to be in a corner mumbling about the War. Instead I saw the smiling face of a young waitress, who at seeing Damon, blushed a bright pink. Ugh, fan girls.

"This way." She gestured, pointing to a booth. I did not miss the flirtatious look she gave Damon. A surge of annoyance shot through me. I'm sure she'd love to end up as his lunch. I wondered how many people Damon has killed since living here…how many has he killed in a life time?

"Alex, what are you thinking about?" Damon queried, brows arched with mild amusement.

Flippantly I sat in the book and glanced at the menu. "I was wondering how many girls you brought here." was my reply. Despite how much I hated being here, I was a tiny, miniscule bit curious.

He grinned. "Only a few."

Uh huh. The waitress returned and I ordered. This was awkward, because I know once I had looked at him, doe eyed, the way she did right now. Staring at the coffee she placed before me, I suddenly felt nauseated. "So, why'd you end up in Mystic Falls?" Damon asked, taking a sip of the drink he ordered.

Fingertips tracing the cup rim, I gave him an honest answer. "Because Da' wanted to move the company to America."

"Why Mystic Falls though, not NYC or LA? They seem a better choice." He sipped his coffee again, eyes speculative.

Personally, I was guessing Fate had something to do with it. I looked up to meet his gaze. Grim silence was my reply. I believe Fate had sent me here, influenced Da', so that I could break an endless cycle that the vampire had put me on. Not, of course, that I would tell Damon that. He looked uncomfortable at my silence and I smiled. "I think to fulfill the desire of returning to the American homestead." I said easily, taking a sip of the latte and thoroughly enjoying the odd look crossing his features.

"Right, you had ancestors here, founders I think. Hm…It was Lenora and…Alexandria, right? Must be a family name." he tapped his fingers on the table top. "Least that's what the town archives say." Cold rushed to my fingertips, his eyes suddenly sharp.

I savored another sip, or pretended to, as the coffee now tasted like ashes. "Yeah, it's a family name. I've got a picture someplace. Gran says I look just like me."

Damon

Yes, just like her. If I was right, this was her. But she certainly wasn't acting like Alexandria. This woman was far too moody. And she certainly didn't dress how Alexandria would have in this age…definitely not, not with the amount of cleavage she exposed. Not that I minded, but Alexandria had been mindful of such things. But then, people change after a hundred years—I knew that full well. For a moment I fell silent, watching her sip coffee.

If this was Alexandria, why was she really back here? It was not for her father—if Sean Conner really was her father. It could not be anything good. Brewing that idea, the silence lengthened until we finished coffee.

"Well, shall we?" I offered my arm and rose from the table. She gingerly took it and we strolled to the streets of the old side of town. I watched her, but saw no recognition at the shops that still stood. I saw no flash in her eyes at the place where Alexandria and I would meet in town: the garden at the old Apothecary. She remained curious, green eyes wandering about, occasionally asking questions. Anyone could act, I took it as such. I would know if she was Alexandria soon enough.

"Here, I want you to see something." I steered her away from the main road, passing through what was once a dirt path that was stilled lined with trees, and stopped at an old wooden gate. It wasn't the original gate—time had taken that one many years ago. Alex seemed uneasy as I pushed it open and revealed the hidden square that even now high school students called 'the kissing corner'. Beside me Alex exhaled slowly.

Alex

Had I been innocent and new to town, I would have loved Damon's attentions. He was the perfect guide, offering tidbits on the historical sights of the original Mystic Falls. At one point I beamed at him and gave a coy smile. "How do you know all this?"

He shrugged and brushed it off. "I read a lot. History is interesting." Yes, especially when you lived it.

Yet, the moment he spoke of a surprise, I suddenly wanted to run, even more than I had wanted to when I first saw him in the Lockwood kitchen. Smiling and fighting the urge to scream, I followed him down a side road. A gate appeared, weathered and bent, and in a flash I knew where we were.

Cotton and oak trees still lined the square, grassy Eden growing in the middle of town. Centered, the weeping willow still curved. A gasp hitched in my throat. Damon pulled me into the square and I, knees shaking, followed. "They call this the kissing corner." Damon was saying.

I knew this. It was here, beneath the shade of the willow, that he first kissed me. The memory burned bright, tugged from where it had been hidden for so many years. A breeze blew through the clearing, as soft as his lips had been against mine. The willow dominated my vision and a thick, unyielding sense of invasion struck. Suddenly I couldn't breathe. Before I lost myself to a cloud of darkness, I saw Damon's eyes as he caught me. They blazed with shock, fear, triumph…and something more. Distantly I heard him speak. "Alex—'' and then I was gone.

Damon

Bonnie had said a strong emotional bond tied to a place was needed for the revealing spell to work. For both parties…Alexandria had nearly wept when first I had kissed her, and I remember my own reaction to the kiss. It would do, Bonnie had said. She had looked doubtful, probably not believing that I had cared as much as I had said.

As Alex took in the clearing, I remembered the soft feeling of Alexandria's lips on mine. I remembered the quiet sigh when she responded. When Alex swayed, I remembered what it was to hold Alexandria, and when Alex fell, I caught her and I knew. For a moment her eyes caught mine. There was fear in them, and some part of me knew she had every right to fear me. "Alexandria." I breathed as she fell limp in my arms.

How had this happened? Lenora's look of hatred at the funeral in eighteen sixty four flashed behind my eyes. How, I did not know. But why, that I did know. Because once before, Alexandria had fallen in my arms, pale and still. Except last time she had been lifeless, and no matter how many times I called to her, those eyes would never reopen again.

I knew what this was. Chance? No. A threat, a warning—no. This was an ultimatum.

Finally got to right some revealing there! Spoiler, next chapter holds a LOT more angst! Comments, suggestions, critiques welcome!

Theme Songs:

"Love Song" – Cruel Black Dove