CHAPTER TWELVE

Stefan walked into the Boarding House library to find Maggie sitting cross-legged on the rug, filing her nails, in amongst dozens of books strewn haphazardly, and Damon looking through the shelves desperately clearly searching for something. Stefan cleared his throat, "What are you looking for, Damon?"

Damon replied, without looking up from the pages he was flicking through in a large book. "Nothing to concern you, Brother."

"No, but putting Elena in harm's way is my concern."

Maggie put her nail file down and looked up at Stefan, "oh no! Poor Elena. I mean, she wasn't the one who got her ass kicked by a vengeful newbie vampire, got covered in gasoline and staked in the chest; but of course, precious Elena comes first. And you," Maggie stood up and pointed at Damon, "can wipe that smirk off your face, because it's the same with you. Katherine came first, and now that she's not here to fulfil her role, Elena's taken her place!"

Stefan looked completely shocked at his sister's outburst, "that's not what I meant. Maggie, it's not like that at all."

"Maybe it's not, but we'll see. And, whilst I'm here, let's clear some things up. Elena may be somewhat of a friend to me, but I will not hesitate to kill her if she tears our family apart. That goes to Katherine as well, if she gets out of the tomb. I will put our family first, and nothing is going to get in the way of that. I nearly died yesterday, and it made me realise that even an immortal life is too short. Stefan, I'm going to be a better sister from now on, I may continue to tease you, but you're not my enemy anymore; we promised you a lifetime of misery and I now officially hand in my notice. I surrender." She took a few steps towards Stefan and did something she hadn't done in a while; she hugged him.

-8-8-8-

Maggie sat down opposite Bonnie in the Mystic Grill. Damon was still searching through books, so he sent Maggie out to try and bargain with their little witch friend. Bonnie looked terrified, "what do you want?"

Maggie crossed her arms, and slumped in the chair a little. "I think we need a fresh start."

"You and your brother tried to kill me."

"But we didn't, and if we wanted to, we would have. Does that not count for anything?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, "you know, I can start fires with my mind. Fires kill vampires, right? Just stay the hell away from me."

As Maggie got up a black haired boy, no older than nineteen, walked over. "Hey, Bonnie, everything ok over here?"

Maggie cleared her throat, "yes, we're fine."

"I wasn't talking to you." Maggie had to use all of her willpower not to rip the guy's throat out there and then, but simply took a deep breath and walked away.

-8-8-8-

Damon was sitting at the desk in Maggie's room, jotting down the names of the Founders of Mystic Falls, whilst Maggie finished off her look for the fifties decade dance. She had had her black hair teased in a high ponytail and a low fringe; high rise, light blue skinny jeans with an off the shoulder tight, black top tucked in and black plimsolls. Stefan walked in and chucked a book onto the desk in front of Damon. Damon snorted, "Dad's old journal?"

Stefan crossed his arms, "you were looking for it, right? Well, go ahead. Read it. Enjoy it. I have. It says nothing about Katherine, or the tomb or how to open it."

Maggie put her brush down, and began applying mascara. "I'm not surprised. The man couldn't even spell his own name."

Stefan looked back at Damon, "I can help you two. The deal would be that only Katherine and Thomas would be released. The other twenty six stay put."

Damon looked baffled, "why should we trust you?"

"Maggie does, we have a new understanding."

"Ok then, why should I trust you?"

Stefan shrugged, "it would be easier with all hands on deck."

"Fine. But let me down, and I will put a stake through that golden heart of yours." Stefan smirked and walked out of the room, Maggie following close after. One thing was for sure, Damon did not trust his brother.

-8-8-8-

An hour later, all three Salvatores and Elena were gathered around in the Gilbert's kitchen. Elena had been attacked by a vampire, which they all concluded was the same one that caused her car to crash. Stefan had, of course, saved her and then called Maggie and Damon and filled them in on the situation. Maggie crossed her arms, "how'd he get in?"

Elena looked at the floor, "he posed as a pizza delivery guy, and I invited him in."

"Well, he gets points for that." Maggie rolled her eyes and took a sip of her whiskey - it was the only alcohol Jenna had.

Damon crossed his arms, "and you have no clue who he could be?"

Elena sighed, "We've been through this. No. He's been invited in, what do we do?"

Maggie smirked, "we go out tonight slay this son of a bitch's ass, Buffy the Vampire Slayer style."

-8-8-8-

At the fifties dance, Maggie, Damon, Elena and Stefan were all tensely looking around trying to see anything that may lead to their rogue vampire. Damon looked at Elena, "Elena, would you like to dance?"

Elena smile, "I would love to." Damon smirked, but Elena turned to Stefan. "May I have this dance?" Maggie burst out laughing, and Damon glowered at her. The two went off to dance, leaving Maggie and Damon to watch and drink as much alcohol as they possibly could. Maggie turned around shocked as someone tapped on her shoulders; her defences went up immediately, but she calmed down when she realised it was just a teacher.

He smiled warmly at Maggie, but barely looked at Damon. "Yeah, I don't recognise you two. I'm Alaric Saltzman, the new history teacher."

Damon was caught off guard, so Maggie spoke up. "Oh, hi. I'm Maggie Salvatore and this is my older brother Damon Salvatore. We're urm… chaperoning."

"Wait, Salvatore? As in Stefan Salvatore?"

"Yep. He's our brother." Damon smiled at Alaric, although Maggie could tell Damon didn't trust this Alaric guy. "I'm their legal guardian, hence the chaperoning."

Alaric raised his eyebrows, "Have you guys – uh – lived here your whole life?" Maggie shot Damon a look telling him to keep his answer brief. This guy was shady. But before they could reply, Alaric added, "Sorry. I'm nosy. I don't mean to pry. Look, it was nice meeting you two." He shook Damon's hands and then walked off. Damon was wrapped up in his own thoughts, that he hardly noticed Maggie walk off in a hurry. He quickly raced to keep up with her, whipping the stake out of his back pocket and found himself launched into a scene that looked like it was out of an action movie. Stefan had just managed to pull the vampire off of Elena, and whilst he was checking up on her, Maggie shouted at the vampire, "hey, dickhead. Nobody wants to kill you. We just wanna talk." The vampire smiled at Maggie, but then turned and ran at Elena; however, before he could make it, Damon chucked the stake to Stefan, who then shoved it into the vampire's stomach. Maggie strutted over to him and knelt down so that they were face to face. "Now do you feel like talking?"

The guy spat on the floor, "screw you."

"I really would rather you didn't." Maggie winked, grabbed the stake and twisted it. "Wrong answer, honey. Why are you doing this?"

"It's fun."

Maggie pushed the stake in deeper. "What do you want with Elena?"

He gasped in pain, "she looks like Katherine."

Everyone in the room tensed up, both of Maggie's brothers went to talk, but she raised a finger to silence them. "You knew Katherine?"

The vampire laughed, weakly. "Oh, you thought you were the only, ones. You don't even remember me."

"Tell me how to get into the tomb." The vampire shook his head, but Maggie twisted the stake once again.

He gasped in pain, "the grimoire. Check the journal. Jonathan Gilbert's journal."

"Who else are you working with?"

"No. You'll have to kill me."

"If you say so." Maggie grimaced and pulled the stake from the vampire's stomach, before shoving it into his heart. Elena gasps in shock and took a step back. "Elena, he had to die." Elena went to argue, but Maggie cut in. "Elena, he had been invited in. There was nothing else that we could do." Maggie stood up quickly, when she heard a door open nearby in the corridor.

Stefan looked at his two siblings, "go, I got this." Maggie and Damon nodded and vamped out of the room and stopped right in front of Alaric.

Alaric cleared his throat, clearly nervous. "Hey."

Damon began to compel Alaric, "what are you doing?"

"Looking for Miss Hilden."

"Why are you in Mystic Falls?"

"I got a job as a teacher."

"Do you know what we are?"

"You're my student's siblings."

"Is everything you're telling me the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then forget this conversation." Maggie and Damon left after that, and were unable to spot Alaric unclasp his hand, revealing his vervain.