Klaus didn't stay long once the sun was in the sky. It wasn't that long being that by the time we actually got out of the tub it was near half past four in the morning. He stayed until around eight. That was fine - I'd only slept until six anyhow.

He'd said he was taking care of business.

I didn't do much, but since I now had my feelings back, I figured that I'd go and apologize to my brothers.

My run there was quick and quiet. I'd donned my ring to the finger on my right hand beside my pinkie before walking onto the porch. I was a Salvatore now, and I decided to embrace it.

It was only when I looked up that I realized that my brothers were standing on the porch.

"Stefan, what're you two doing out here?" I asked him as he hugged me. He was the first one to turn around and see me, welcoming me with open arms.

"Elena is signing her ownership of the house," he said. "It's nice to see you back to normal."

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Why are you putting the house in her name?"

"Precaution," Damon said as he looked through the window. I could hear the pen click and footsteps approaching. The next thing I knew, I saw a graying man step out onto the porch.

He looked at me, "Oh, I don't think you were here were you? It's nice to meet you. Are you Miss Salvatore?"

"Yes," I said although it sounded like a question.

"Your name was on the deed as a co-owner until it was singed over to Miss Gilbert," he said.

I just agreed and he said his goodbyes. I went with my brothers to enter the house, but we three were all stopped at the entryway. Elena came over to us.

"Stefan, would you like to come in?" she smiled. He returned it with one of his.

"Of course," he replied, kissing her as he walked through the threshold.

"Come on in, Lucia," she said when Stefan pulled away and went into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Elena," I mumbled as I gave her hair a stroke as I passed her and went to follow Stefan.

He was pulling a bottle of whiskey from the top shelf and pouring himself a glass.

"Good stuff, huh?" I asked, sparking conversation.

"Yeah," he replied. "Do you want some?"

"Of course," I laughed as he grabbed another glass. He poured some in it and gave the bottle to me.

"We'll give Damon the other glass," he smiled. I gladly accepted the drink and toasted his glass to my bottle.

Damon came in soon after that. He saw the glass on the counter and took it.

"That little girlfriend of yours is a hellion at times, Little Brother," he said, glaring at Stefan, who was laughing.

"The ultimatum was that he does things my way," Elena said as she entered the kitchen. "Hello, Lucia. I don't think we've properly met. I'm Elena - Stefan's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you, Elena," I said. "Forgive me for running at first. I've never seen a doppelganger."

"I'm sorry about that," she blushed. "Does anybody know where Katherine is since we're speaking of her? I haven't seen her in near a week."

"We saw her a few hours before you came over with Bonnie when Lucia first arrived," Stefan said, "but that's the last we've seen of her."

"Yeah," Damon laughed. "It was right after Lucia kicked her ass."

All three of them laughed, but I heard somebody approaching the door.

"Hello? Anybody home?" a male voice called as he closed the door behind him.

We all went into the living room.

"Hey Ric," Elena said. I just stared at him.

His brown hair stood in different arrays at the top of his head. He seemed in his early - maybe mid - thirties, and slight stubble gave him a scruffy look.

He looked at me with eyes that seemed to widen just a bit, "Hello."

There was something off about him, "Hi."

"Alaric, this is my older twin sister, Lucia," Damon said. "Lucia, this is the local vampire hunter and high school history teacher, Alaric Saltzman."

"He's a vampire hunter," I questioned, "but he doesn't hunt you?"

"We're on the good side," Stefan laughed.

"Oh," was all I said. From the corner of my eye, I could see him stare at me every now and then.

"I'm going to go while you all talk," I said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Elena asked.

"No, it's alright," I said. I subconsciously put my hand in my pocket, where it curled around the note I put in there this morning. I pulled it out and held it.

"What's that?" Damon asked.

"Nothing," I said. "It's just an old note I've had for a long time."

He didn't say anything more to me as he began talking with Stefan.

I looked over for a second to find Alaric staring at me as if knowing what the note said. There was a slight smile playing at his lips and it unnerved me.

I broke our eye contact and darted up the stairs with my bottle in the hand I wasn't holding the note in.

My room was still as I'd left it - curtains ripped and bed covers ruffled.

For the first time I noticed that there was a stereo on the dresser, and I turned it on.

Funnily, there was a Spanish station, and "Ni Rosas Ni Jugetes" was on its second chorus in the song. Paulina Rubio was one of my favorite musicians.

I turned the radio up just loud enough so I wouldn't hear what the people downstairs were doing.

Eventually, after four songs played through, I heard Stefan call me down. I ran down the stairs and threw my now empty bottle into a nearby trashcan. My note was stuffed back into my pocket, and when I entered the living room, four sets of eyes were on me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Elena and Stefan are going to school and I've got to be getting over to Liz's house," Damon started. "Alaric has a substitute for his class because he's going hunting around town to find out some things. Would you like to go with him? He offered."

This man intrigued me and scared me at the same time, but I figured I'd go with him to find what he knows. It may get my mind away from Klaus, and thoughts of what he was doing in this moment.

When our groups were dispatched, I got into the passenger seat of Alaric's car.

"So, how are you this morning, Lucia?" he asked as he put the car in drive and started onto the road.

"I feel amazing this morning," I admitted.

"Why is that?" I knew he was smiling in the way he spoke, but I couldn't see it because I was looking out the window.

"I have my brothers, knowledge, and no doppelganger to annoy me," I said. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said. Did I just detect a slight hidden English accent? No, it was just because Klaus was on my mind. "I suppose I should tell you about our job today. We're looking for a loophole in how to discriminate and seclude Bonnie from your family's and Elena's care. She's a witch that needs to be killed."

"Bonnie scared me," I laughed. "She doesn't now, but she did when I first found out she was a witch. Do you kill witches, too?"

"Not usually," he laughed. "Bonnie is a liability, though. She needs to be taken out of this problem sooner than expected."

"What has Bonnie ever done to you?" I asked. "All I know is that she's Elena's best friend and is a good witch."

"Well, that's not important," he said. "If you want, we can go on another mission. We're supposed to be tracking down a hybrid. He's of vampire and werewolf nature. They're evil and very powerful. I think all hybrids are in my opinion."

"Your opinion is wrong," I muttered too low for him to hear, but I kind of think he still did by the way he softly chuckled.

"So, Luci," he said. "Do you have a man in your life? I was married once, but Damon turned her into a vampire and then she burned herself alive as compelled to do by the hybrid we're tracking."

"I guess you could say he's in my life," I said. "It's more like he spots it up instead of being there constantly. I saw him last night." Thinking about him made me smile.

"You seem like you're really in love," he noted casually. "I'm sure he's in love with you as well. Your charm and innocence could make world peace."

"I'm not at all innocent anymore," I replied.

Wait a minute…

"Why did you call me 'Luci'?" I asked.

"I, uh, figured it was your nickname," he hesitated.

"Oh," was all I said. Well, he was right: it was my nickname. "Do you know the name of this so called "evil hybrid"?"

"The idiot's name is Nicklaus," Alaric replied. "We've been tracking him for near three months. Nobody can find him yet. That's sad to say, being that I'm one of the town's best trackers."

I went on the defensive when Klaus's name was mentioned. Something was definitely not right.

"Well then, Alaric," I started. "With no disrespect, I seem to come to the conclusions that either the town is small and useless, you're slow, or that Nicklaus isn't as much of an idiot, if at all, as you say he is if you of all people can obviously not find him. Being as I know for a fact that you aren't slow, because I know what slow really is, or the town isn't useless because I've managed to see and do extraordinary things here, I'm guessing that Klaus isn't an idiot - he's conniving and smart."

"You just called him Klaus," Alaric said. "I never said his nickname was Klaus."

I gave him a fake smile, "I figured that's what his nickname would be."

I then reached out quickly and grabbed his right hand. I bit into his palm and got a sip of his blood. I released his hand and then smiled at him as I licked my lips. He smiled back.

"You've put me at a crossroads, Lover," I said. "I told you I didn't want part of this, so now I have the choice that I can't win no matter what decision I make.

"I can either tell my brothers and Elena that you're planning on killing Bonnie and betray you, or I can let you do kill her without telling them, thus betraying their trust and love."

"I'll let you decide Bonnie's fate, then," he said as he put the car in park and kissed my forehead. He'd taken me to the hotel. "I have some more business to tend to, along with witches to kill. I'll see you later tonight."