I know for the long wait, this chapter turned out to be quite short. Sorry about that but if I can get off my ass, I'll give you another chapter today. Friday at latest. If it takes me till Friday though, you'll get two updates. Deal?

So, I can't really answer all of your Reviews. That would take me ages and a lot of pages. So, I'll just settle on saying thank you for the 57 – 57! – Reviews I got for this chapter. Thank you so much. I really can't thank you all enough for the support you're showing me.

Enjoy,

Nick

It was already late afternoon when I arrived home. Ms. Nelson's friend who had picked us up from the airport had dropped me off in the driveway, helping me with my bags, while I got Hero out of the car.

"Thanks," I nodded, rubbing my eyes tiredly. The plane ride – while short – was incredibly exhausting. There was another asshole somewhere in the middle of the cabin, complaining about a dog allergy. He randomly started a fit of fake sneezing until the stewardess shut him up. Even though I wanted to fall into bed and sleep for a few months, the tiredness couldn't erase the excitement I felt. I had a ton more sketches that I could turn into paintings and a new friend. I really didn't know why I got along so well with Nik but I guess it had something to do with being so similar. There were a lot of things that we differ in but I guess it wasn't enough for us to hate each other.

I took off Hero's leash because he was jumping around energetically, almost causing me to lose hold of my suitcase. My trek to the front door was so much shorter that way and soon I was inside the house. God, I was glad that I did the show in New York but I was also glad that it's over now and I'm back home. The city wasn't for me. I preferred a place with not too many people around.

"Angel?" a familiar voice smiled from the bottom of the stairs.

I blinked at the person in surprise. Why didn't I know that he was here? I dropped my suitcase and ran forward, throwing myself into his arms excitedly "Uncle John." His arms wrapped around me tightly and he spun me around a few times "What are you doing here?"

Uncle John set me down but didn't release me from the hug "What? Can't I come to see my favourite niece and nephew?"

"Usually… Yeah," I nodded "Anyway. Guess what?"

"Mm." He put on the most exaggerated thinking face on "The Art show went well?"

I nodded, bouncing up and down, my earlier tiredness completely forgotten "Yup. I sold all of my paintings. Robert said that he would transfer the money to me within the next few days."

"That's amazing, Angie," John grinned, leaning down to peck my cheek "Your mom and dad would be so proud of you. You know they supported you. Through Hell and back."

"Thank you, Uncle John," I whispered.

He seemed to realized that his words didn't have the effect he wanted them to have "So, how have you been?"

I shrugged "Not too bad. I made friends, stood up to Elena a few times and found out that I'll never move to New York. Ever."

"That's good," he snorted, ruffling my hair "Jeremy is with his girlfriend, by the way. I think they wanted to go to the Grill."

"You disapprove?" I frowned, taking in his tone "You know that Jay doesn't care that Anna is a vampire, right? Neither do I. He's happy with her… I don't think I've seen him this happy since mom and dad died. We both like to pretend that we're happy, even if we're not, in hopes it will become reality."

Uncle John sighed "I guess so. I still don't like it though."

I rolled my eyes "You shouldn't be prejudiced. They are only trying to survive. I get that they kill people and that vampires like Logan Fell should be killed but there are a lot of good ones out there as well."

"When have you become so mature?"

I shrugged "It's the upbringing, Uncle John. I had to grow up quickly. I also see the real monsters in the world and Anna, Pearl, Damon and Stefan aren't monsters."

"Will you accompany me to the Grill? I'm actually meeting Pearl there now," he said, holding out his arm for me to take.

"Can you just wait for ten minutes? I want to change out of these clothes and drink something."

John laughed "Sure. Go on."

True to my word, it only took me ten minutes to get changed, put my hair into a high ponytail and drink some water. Opposed to the sweatpants I was wearing before, I now had on a pair of ripped skinny jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt with the script 'Normal people scare me'. Classy but still pretty comfortable. I'm happy… At least I wasn't one of those people who dressed like sluts just so they get looked at. To be honest, I would rather stay in the background than to be noticed most of the time anyway, so yeah. Sweatshirts and jeans were my best friends.

"Huh. You actually only took ten minutes to get ready," John mumbled.

I smirked "Why? Aren't used to girls only taking ten minutes instead of a few hours?"

"You bet," he laughed, holding out his arm again. I took it with a smile and followed him to his car, Hero on my heels. I didn't bother to dig out his vest anymore, just clipping on his leash again. People around here knew that he was a service dog and I didn't care too much "My lady?"

"Why thank you, my lord," I smiled, handing him Hero's leash while I slipped into the passenger seat. We arrived at the Grill not too long after we left our house. Usually I would have walked like I do everywhere but Uncle John offered.

Inside, I looked around attentively, checking out who was here and who wasn't. Damon was leaning against one of the pool tables, deep in a conversation with both Jeremy and Anna. I smiled slightly, glad that they got along so well. I didn't even want to think how it would have happened if I hadn't been here on some of the occasions.

"You can go to them," Uncle John prodded, sitting down at one of the tables "No need to humour the old man."

I snorted "I haven't seen you in months. Forgive me for wanting to spend some time with my favourite uncle."

"I'm your only uncle," he pointed out.

"Technically, you're not. But you're still my favourite by far." My mind flashed to a big, beefy man with a face that was flushed purple. As soon as it came, it vanished though. The last thing I needed now, was to think about my previous life.

Uncle John was watching my face attentively "You're really getting better. I'm glad."

I smiled and pressed a small kiss to his cheek "I missed you, Uncle John. Have fun with Pearl."

"Go away, you brat," he laughed, shooing me away.

I grinned as I watched Pearl sitting down across from him, a small smile on her face. It was barely a lift of the corners of her lips but still.

"So your mother was in love with Jonathan Gilbert and he betrayed her?" Jeremy questioned Anna quietly.

"Yup," the older vampire nodded, looking at me over Jay's shoulder. I put a finger to my lips and winked. Anna was the only one who had seen me out of the three of them.

Jeremy frowned "And now my uncle wants this invention-device thing that she gave to Damon?"

"Does he?" I spoke up from behind my brother.

Jay whirled around in surprise "Angel," he exclaimed, throwing his arms around me exuberantly "So, are you a famous artist now?"

I grinned "Wouldn't you like to know?" I rested my head on his shoulder "No, there are several of my paintings out in the world now. Robert wanted some more for other shows that he's hosting but those aren't for a few more months."

"That's amazing," Jeremy murmured, letting go of me.

As soon as he was gone, Damon took his place "So, how was New York?"

"Big," I grimaced "Very big. I mean, it was alright for a week or two but I wouldn't want to live there. I prefer smaller towns…"

"Oh, you disappoint me," the vampire groaned teasingly "And I thought you were a girl from my own heart."

Anna and I started laughing and I shook my head "I missed you guys. About Uncle John… I think that he's coming around. He might be an ass to anyone else but Jeremy and I are his brother's children. He would do a lot for us. I actually already talked to him about that… Threw in a bit about monsters and knowing what real monsters were."

"Your manipulative side is showing," Jay remarked quietly, trying not to show how much that was telling him.

Damon blinked down at me "Are you talking about Logan?"

I licked my lips nervously "No… Yes, a little. My uncle – my real uncle – was very abusive towards me. Same with my aunt and cousin. They disliked my mother and her husband so much… After they died and I was abandoned on their doorstep… Well, they didn't take that too well."

"That actually explains a lot," the Salvatore sighed, pulling me into another hug "You know that we don't think any less of you, right? It wasn't your fault."

"I know that now," I told him "It doesn't mean that I understand that sometimes…"

He ruffled my hair and looked down at his watch "Listen, I gotta go meet Alaric."

"Do I want to know?" I questioned.

Damon shrugged "The tomb vampires are out and about…"

"Ouch," I winced "Alright, go ahead then."

"I'll see you," he waved and vanished out of the back door.

Jeremy held out his hand for Anna's "How about we go and see what your mother and Uncle John are talking about?"

I smirked "Do you really want to go?"

"Oh God," my younger brother groaned "That's something I didn't want to picture."

I laughed and reached up to mess with his hair "That's what I'm for, brother. Annoy the shit out of you while also messing with your head."

"You two have an interesting relationship," Anna smiled, going into the direction of her mother, pulling Jeremy along with her.

"Yeah," Jay sighed, grinning back at me "It's always been like that."

I flopped down on the bench next to my uncle, making him look down at me "Hey," I poked out my tongue at the older man.

"Brat," he snorted and hid his face in his hands when Jeremy did the same on his other side "Brats. Why do I even visit."

Jay and I exchanged glances "Cause you love us, Uncle. I mean, who wouldn't? We're adorable."

Pearl and Anna were watching our interaction intently "He's so different around them," the older woman whispered in surprise.

"So, I have a question," I spoke up after a few moments of silence "What the hell have I missed and what the fuck are you planning?" The last question was aimed at my uncle with a small glare. He was just opening his mouth when I continued "And don't tell me something about the device being a family heirloom. What do you want with it?"

"I have the rest of the device," he told me, not bothering to hide anything "The other vampires who were in the tomb are dangerous. I don't mind if you get your friends to safety but the rest have to die."

Pearl frowned "How would you even know about them?"

"Katherine," John muttered, rubbing a hand down his face "You have to understand. I'm not a bad guy. I saw how happy Jeremy is with Anna and – despite him being an asshole – Damon is an okay guy. I just want to protect my family. Angel got kidnapped once already…"

"That wasn't your fault," I poked him "I was stupid enough to antagonize Logan when he showed up in front of our house. Anyway, it's over now and I'm fine."

Pearl looked at my uncle intently, trying to figure out whether he was lying or not "I gave the device to Damon."

John groaned "Well, that complicates things."

"Not necessarily," I spoke up "Just tell him what you want to do with it. Maybe he'll actually agree… You never know." I stood up from my place at the table "If you'll excuse me… I'm quite tired again."

"Do you want me to drive you home?" John questioned.

I shook my head with a small smile "Don't worry. A bit of a walk is exactly what Hero and I need now. He's been copped up in a small space most of today."