Taking a deep breath, Damon parked his car in the street in front of Dr. Stensrund's old house, grabbed the container of Selina's blood from the backseat and started up the drive. When he reached the front door, he knocked and was relieved when she answered right away.
"There you are," she said, ushering him inside. "Can I assume that since you're here you have something for me?"
"Yep," he said, holding up the brown paper bag and grinning. She took it from him and peered inside.
"You did get it," she said approvingly. "I didn't think you would."
"Oh, come on Katherine," he said, coming toward her and putting his arms around her waist. "What would make you think that I would fail?"
"Your incredibly unreasonable attachment to my sister," Katherine said. She looked at the container that held Selina's blood. "You had to hurt her in order to get this, didn't you?" she asked.
"Yep," he said. He shrugged. "It was no big deal, though." He paused. "So, now that I've brought you what you want, are you going to tell me what the big secret plan is?"
Katherine smiled. "No, silly. If I told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore. But I will tell you that you'll like it. I promise." She kissed him deeply. "Does she know you're here?" she whispered as soon as she pulled away.
"No," Damon shook his head. "I had to be stealthy. You know how she'd try and stop me if she knew where I was going."
"And as you and I both know, Selina the vampire is a lot stronger and more violent than human Selina ever was." Katherine pouted. "She ruined my plan."
Damon guided her over to a chair. "Let's not talk about her now, all right? We're here, she's not."
Katherine smiled wickedly. "I like the way you think."
Selina was sitting alone in the kitchen trying to figure out what to do with herself when she got the call from Tyler: "my parents are back. Can you come over?"
"Sure," she said. "It's not like I have anything else to do. Damon's out and about and won't be back until late." Then, she hung up the phone, grabbed her keys, left a note for Stefan in case he wondered where she'd gone, and then drove over to the Lockwood Mansion. "Hello?" she called, leaning against the open front door. "Anybody home?"
"Of course," Mrs. Lockwood said, hurrying to greet her.
"I'm sorry for just showing up like this," Selina apologized. "Or did Tyler tell you that I might be stopping by?"
"He did mention something of that nature, and you know we're always happy to have you." She led Selina to the dining room, where Amelia sat between Mayor Lockwood and an empty chair, the one Selina assumed Mrs. Lockwood had vacated in order to come and meet her.
Selina cleared her throat and looked around the table. "Hello, Richard," she greeted the mayor, "Miss Underwood, Tyler."
"Hello, Selina," Mayor Lockwood said. "Glad you could come. Tyler said you might."
"Did he mention anything else?" Selina asked.
"Like what?" Mrs. Lockwood replied, looking curious. Tyler was shaking his head.
"Oh, nothing in particular," Selina said quickly. "I just wanted to be caught up on conversation."
"We actually haven't talked much," Amelia volunteered. "We've mostly just been waiting for you."
"And do you know why I'm here, Miss Underwood?" Selina asked, putting her napkin in her lap.
"Yes, I do." Amelia said. "You're here to help Tyler share that news that his parents need to hear."
"What news?" Mrs. Lockwood asked. "Has something terrible happened?"
"Not really," Selina said. She looked at Tyler. "Do you want me to tell them, or do you want to?" she paused, and then looked over at her mother. "Or do you want to?" she asked.
"I think one of you should," Amelia said.
"I think we should do it together," Tyler said.
"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.
"Well," Selina began, looking at the mayor, "remember the interment ceremony we had to bury Mama's body?"
"Yes," Mayor Lockwood nodded. "What about it?"
"Well," Selina said hesitantly, looking at Tyler who was nodding encouragingly. "It was all a lie."
Mayor Lockwood blinked. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Selina said quickly, "that the body buried under the stone with Mama's name on it isn't really Mama at all."
"What?" Mrs. Lockwood asked. "Of course it is! The police and medical examiner told us it was!"
"Well," Tyler said, "they were lying."
"But the valuables that were buried with the body were Amelia Warren's. Who else could it be?"
Selina shrugged. "I don't really know who it is. But it's not my mother."
Amelia was eyeing Mayor Lockwood with interest. "I could tell you who it is," she said. "I was there when she was killed."
"That's impossible," Mayor Lockwood said. "The body's 145 years old. How could you have been there?"
Amelia gestured at Selina. "Why did you call her Selina?" she asked. "Selina Warren lived in this town around the same time of the body in Amelia Warren's grave. This girl's name is Sophia."
"No it isn't," Mayor Lockwood said. "Her name is Selina. We call her Sophia in front of people who aren't part of the family. I'm sorry I forgot about that."
"No," Amelia said. "It's okay. I gave her her name, so it's good that people remember it still."
"What are you saying?" Mayor Lockwood asked.
"My God!" Selina said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "It's really not that difficult to follow: We don't know who the person buried in Mama's grave is, but it can't be Mama because Mama's sitting right here!" She gestured emphatically at her mother.
"It's true," Amelia said after a moment of silence. "My name isn't Underwood at all. It really is Amelia Lockwood Warren."
"How?" Mayor Lockwood asked. "If you are who you say you are, how are you still here?"
"It's quite simple really," Amelia said. "During the Great Vampire Purge, my husband showed up in Mystic Falls just as I was about to do away with myself and offered to take me to be with him forever."
"So the ghost of your husband came to escort you to heaven?" Mrs. Lockwood asked. "That must have been a relief."
"Obviously that's not the case," Amelia said, frowning. "If I'd died, would I be sitting here talking to you now?"
"Continue," Mrs. Lockwood said after a moment.
"Thank you," Amelia said. "As you may or may not know, if you do then I'm sorry for repeating it to you, my husband Matthew was actually turned into a vampire after he caught typhoid while fighting in the Mexican-American War."
"Oh, my God," Mrs. Lockwood said, looking faint. "Matthew Warren was a vampire and he came here in 1864 and turned you? But then, what about the body?"
"I didn't want my family asking questions about what happened to me," Amelia explained. "And what with all the anti-vampire sentiment in this town, I didn't think they'd be too pleased with my decision."
"So your husband turned you and the two of you left town, killing some random stranger so that your family would think you'd either been murdered or committed suicide?" Mayor Lockwood asked.
"Basically," Amelia said, nodding. "I know it seems like a stupid idea now, but at the time, it was the perfect plan."
Mayor Lockwood looked at Selina and Tyler who'd sat in silence during this speech. "Is she telling the truth?" he asked.
"Yes," Selina nodded.
"When did you find out?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, eyeing her son.
"She came to visit a little while ago," Tyler explained. "That's when she told me. She pointed out pictures as proof and everything."
"Well," Mayor Lockwood said, "I really don't know what to say."
Just then, the oven beeped. "Dinner's ready," Mrs. Lockwood announced. "Who wants to eat?"
Selina didn't feel like eating, so she went up to her room and Tyler followed her soon after. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You seem upset."
Selina sighed. "It's nothing," she said. "It's just really weird having Mama back after all these years, that's all."
"Weird how?" Tyler asked, sitting next to her on the bed.
Selina scooted back on the bed a little. "Remember what Mama was talking about during her breakdown at school?" she asked.
"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "She talked a lot about how much you've changed over the years."
"And how hard it is for her to get used to," Selina added. "You wouldn't know," she continued, "but I have changed a lot."
"I do know," Tyler said. "I've read Grandfather Michael's journals and you're the person he talks most about."
Selina gave a small laugh. "That figures," she said. "He didn't really have many other interests besides my life." She paused. "I didn't realize that it would affect her so much," she said after taking a breath. "And it hit me yesterday when we were driving back from the cemetery after looking at the grave."
"What did you two fight about?" Tyler asked.
"You're just going to think it's silly," Selina said, not wanting to tell him.
"Try me," Tyler said.
"All right," Selina turned her body so that she was facing him head on. "She thought that you and I were standing a little too close together and the fact that we were holding hands just made her livid. She scolded me for cheating on Damon, shirking my marital duties, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then, when we got back to my parents house, I snapped at her."
"What did you say?" Tyler asked.
"I told her to mind her own business and get with the times," Selina said.
"Good for you," Tyler said. "I think it was the right thing for you to say."
"Now I'm starting to think it wasn't," Selina said. "If I'd known that it would do that to her, I wouldn't have said it."
Tyler sighed. "I think that all parents, whether they mean to or not, have an image in their heads of how they want their kids to be. And sometimes, the kids agree with that image, and sometimes they don't. And if they don't, the best thing for the kid to do is to find out what works for them and stick with it regardless of what the parents think."
"So I shouldn't start acting like some damsel in distress out of a fairytale even if it would make Mama more comfortable?" Selina asked.
"Exactly," Tyler said, grinning and giving her shoulders a squeeze. "It took you 145 years, but you've finally found a niche for yourself that's comfortable. And personally, I couldn't imagine you any other way."
"Thanks," Selina said, smiling back. She took his hand. "You know," she said, "I like it when we just talk like this. It's nice. And thanks for the advice; I really appreciate it."
She looked at the clock on his bedside table. "I should probably be getting back to the boardinghouse." She stood up and walked toward the door.
"Selina?" Tyler asked when she had her hand on the doorframe.
"What?" Selina asked, turning around.
"Can I kiss you?"
Selina stood in silence for a moment, then smiled at him. "Sure," she said. "One probably won't hurt anything."
He came toward her and she leaned forward, figuring that he was going to kiss her on the lips, but to her surprise, he opted for a very chaste touch of his lips to her forehead. When he backed away, she looked at him in surprise. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," she replied, and telling the others goodbye, she left the house.
A couple hours later, Selina's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said, picking it up.
"Hi, Selina," said the voice on the other end.
"Damon?" Selina asked. "Where in the world are you?"
"I'm at O'Neil's on 3rd and West Court. And your mother's with me."
"Wait a minute," Selina said, standing up. "O'Neil's? That's a bar!"
"Good for you for remembering that," Damon said dryly. "It's in fact the same bar I rescued you from the first time Tyler propositioned you."
"Yeah," Selina said. "I remember that. So what's Mama doing there? Has she told you? Or is she even capable of speech?"
"She can talk," Damon said. "But I suggest you get down here as soon as you possibly can. Do you remember where it is?"
"Yes," Selina said. "I will be there momentarily."
The streets were virtually empty, so Selina made it to O'Neil's in record time. Though the bar itself was crowded with people, once inside, it was not hard for Selina to spot Damon and her mother.
"Hi Mama," she said cautiously, sitting across from her mother in the booth.
"Hi, honey," her mother said. Her eyes were out of focus and she looked terrible.
"What happened after I left Tyler's house?" she asked. "Something terrible from the state of you. Or is this still about me?"
"A little bit of both," her mother replied. "Although, as far as you're concerned, I found a note from your father when I was looking for my house key this morning and it made me feel a lot better."
"Can I assume that Richard and family didn't react well to your announcing that you're a vampire?" Selina asked.
"Yes," Amelia nodded. "Now I remember why I wanted to steal away without telling anyone where I was going or why: because I knew they'd react just the way they did: 'what where you thinking?' 'How could you betray the family?' And it just went on and on and on."
"So you came here to drink and forget," Selina said sympathetically. "They had that effect on me too, at first. But you get used to it."
"When Selina first met Tyler I found her out here after a not-so-good experience," Damon said.
"Really?" Amelia asked, sniffling and looking at her daughter.
"Yeah," Selina nodded.
"And as for having difficulty getting used to the person Selina's become," Damon continued, "I had the same problem when we first got together."
"Did it take you awhile to get over?" Amelia asked.
"A little," Damon said. "I felt better about it after I got her out of here," Damon said. "Because seeing her here assured me that no matter how grown up and bold she seemed, there were still things she needed me to help her out of. That cheered me up immensely."
"The same thing can't be said about me I bet," Amelia said. "She's grown up now; what does she need her mother for?"
"There'll be a lot of things," Selina said. "Especially since Katherine has returned to Mystic Falls. We're going to need all the help we can get."
Soon after Selina left, Tyler headed over to Dr. Stensrund's house to meet Katherine. "Did Salvatore bring the blood?" he asked as soon as he got in the door?"
"Yeah," Katherine said. She grabbed the bowl of water that had Tyler's blood in it and dumped in Selina's, swirling it with a spoon. She looked over at Tyler and frowned. "What's with the look on your face?" she asked. "You don't want to give up on the plan now, do you?"
"No," Tyler shook his head. "Of course not. In fact, now I'm even more convinced that proceeding is the right thing to do. Selina came over to the house and we had a moment. She even let me kiss her."
"Isn't that sweet?" Katherine said sarcastically. "But it's good to know she's warming up to you on her own. That way the spell won't have to work so hard." She handed Tyler the spoon and told him to continue stirring. "By the way," she asked. "What is it about my sister that you find so appealing? I've always thought her a bit dull and boring. Do you think she's pretty?"
"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "But it's not just that. There are more practical reasons that Grandfather Michael talked about too, and I agree with them."
"Such as?"
"Well," Tyler said, "Since your mother is a Lockwood, can I assume you know about our family's peculiarity?"
Katherine grinned. "You mean the werewolf thing?"
"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "Selina has that in her too, and from what I've heard and seen, when it flares up, she can be pretty vicious."
"Oh," Katherine said. "You want to be with Selina not only because she's pretty, but also so you can help each other along when your time of the month comes."
"Yes," Tyler nodded. "But could you call it something else please?"
"Fine," Katherine rolled her eyes. "When the moon is full."
"Thank you," Tyler said. "Not only does that phrasing say exactly what you mean, but has the added bonus of having nothing to do with female bodily functions. And she needs someone who can help her control it properly. The last time she had an incident, five people ended up dead!"
"Really?" Katherine asked.
"Really," Tyler nodded. "And it's because Salvatore has no idea what the hell he's doing." He stopped stirring and looked into the bowl. "So what do we do now?" Tyler asked. "Is it time for you to do the spell?"
"I actually can't do the spell," Katherine said. "But Emily still has descendents around here, so it won't be difficult to get someone who can."
