Chapter 3

Elena comes downstairs when Jenna when they smells actual cooking going on in the kitchen and sees Alyssa at the stove mixing, "Are those mom's pancakes?"

"Down to the last teaspoon, I found a bunch of her recipes and I thought I'd give it a try."

Jenna wasn't even aware her sister kept recipes. "I didn't even know you cook."

"Mom taught me. She said she wanted at least one of her daughters to be cook and since we all know helpless Elena is in the kitchen."

"I'm afraid she gets that from me." Jenna wasn't in denial about her cooking skills or the lack thereof.

"It's never too late learn." She held out the bowl and spoon towards whoever was willing to take it and they look at each other before Elena reached out to take it.

She walks over the counter to the stove, "don't say I didn't warn you if I burn down the place."

Jenna leans on the counter and watches her nieces with a smile.

"Hey Jenna," she catches her as she passes her room. She stops and turns to her niece and Alyssa walks out in the hall. "I was wondering if you had the time later today maybe we could go shopping or to get coffee before the carnival tonight."

"I think I can manage that."

"Okay," she says with a smile, "I'm going to finish ready for school." She walks back into her room and she finish the letters that she was working on. She wanted to finish them before school she should give them to Stefan to give to everyone after she was gone. She manage to finish most of them before she went to bed last night but the the last one she was having trouble with. The one address to Damon.

They had grown a weird friendship over the last few months and she was no longer able to deny the fact that she had also developed feelings for him as well. There was so many things that she wanted to say to him and could say without fearing what his reaction would be because she wouldn't be around to witness it. It was also freeing.

But what do you say to a hundred and fifty fifty plus vampire who you've fallen in love with but who was in your love with your sister you were never going to see again. The truth.

"I'm not sure it's good for you to be around people." Stefan meets with her at her locker later that day trying and failing to convince her that school was the last place she needed to be with fighting the temptation of smelling warm food source.

"I know the risks Stefan, remember." She puts her books in her locker, "I was there after Damon killed Vicki. I remember how sketchy she was."

"Yes, and being here is only going to make the headaches and the hungry that much greater." He felt like he was relieving the same argument he had with Vicki, he just hope that

She closes her locker and turns to him. "I also know that if I'm going to die in less than eighteen hours than I'm going to spend as much time with the people that I still have left. Now if you'll excuse me I have to help Jeremy set up the goldfish toss." She turns around and leave.

"You're late."

"You're lucky I came at all." She was feeling a little sluggish this morning what with being dead and even though she wasn't about to admit it to but she had a killer headache the sun was hurting her eyes and she had a hungry in her that she never felt before or didn't even know could exist.

The booth was already put together by the carnival workers all they had to do was will the fish bowls with the goldfish, all three hundred. "So how are you doing after last night?"

"You mean after Damon killed me?"

"Yeah." She turns to the bows and starts to fill them up with water. "Our lives have gotten a lot crazy lately and I haven't always been there for you. If I haven't said it then I'm sorry that I lied to you and I'm sorry about Anna. I really just wanted to protect you from all this. And before you say it," she cuts him off before he could tell her it wasn't her job to protect him, "It is my job to protect you."

She knew if she was going to do that then he needed to know everything. Since she wasn't going to be around to tell him, "If I'm going to do that there's some things you're going to need to know." She set him up with Stefan so that he could run the basics by him. If she was going to stick with the decision not to turn, she was going to make sure that the people that she left behind was protected.

It also meant that she needed to deal with one more situation before it was time to go.

"I thought you'd be somewhere sticking pins in a miniature doll of me somewhere."

"You know me better than that," Alyssa removes her shades when she steps into the Salvatore house, "I like to do my own dirty work. And if I wanted to hurt you I'd all have to do is mention Katherine. She inflicted more pain on you then I ever could, and those kind of scars are not so easy to get rid of. But I'm not here for that, I believe the Lockwood's have a family secret and I know you do to and I bet you're just eager as I am to find out what."

"I may have talked to Carol Lockwood about it" He says with one raise brow and she flaps down on the couch.

"And what did you find out?"

He turns to her with mild curiosity sensing something different about her, "nothing, much other than the Lockwood's got serious anger issues."

"I've known Tyler all my life. He's always had a temper. Mayor Lockwood too."

He comes and sits. "What do you know about Uncle Mason?"

"Tyler hasn't seen him since he was four. He was never around much growing up." She turns to face him placing her elbow on the back of the chair. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Uncle Mason is the key to figuring out the mayor's family secret." He brings his glass filled with blood stolen from the blood bank to his lips and Alyssa watches him with hunger in her eyes.

Damon pulls the glass away from his lips and watches her with curiosity and she hungrily thirst after what's inside.

Stefan walks in breaking the trance that she seemed to be under and she looks at him with a look of gratitude and guilt and gets up.

"I can see this is going to be one of those posturing moments where you bang on your chest and act like cavemen over Elena something I don't want to witness that so before it gets to that I'm going to take my leave. Damon," she walks pass Stefan on her way out.

Damon notices the secret look between them and knew they were hiding a secret. He wanted to know what he was going to find out.

"I can't believe how much we spent today," the youngest sister of the Gilbert/Summers clan walks back into the Gilbert house

"I know." Alyssa agrees with her aunt. "I'm not going to need any new clothes for at least six months. If you get a call from the credit card company remember you didn't have to buy those shoes in three different colors."

They make their way upstairs and Alyssa stops off at Jenna's room to help her put away her clothes since she had the most.

"They were half off and don't think I didn't see you eyeing the brown ones."

"That's because they look good with the top I bought." She says helping her put her clothes away in the drawers and closet.

"I don't know what brought on this sudden want to spend time together but I'm glad you suggested it."

"Me too," she finishes helping her unpack. "I'm going to go unload this stuff."

"You should wear one of the outfits you got tonight."

"I will," she takes her bags and walk out of the room but then stops and walks backwards back into the room and peaks in. "Jenna," she turns to her standing at her closet. "I just want you to know how I amazing I think you are and how much I admire and love you."

"I love you too."

She left before a tear could fall.

Alyssa is with Jeremy walking around the school's carnival checking out the carnival games and the concession stand.

"So what's with the wanting to spend quality time all of a sudden? First with the breakfast and shopping with Jenna and you haven't left my side all night."

"I didn't know being a good sister or niece was such a crime but if I'm cramping your style. I'll stop." She spots Damon and Stefan watching Tyler arm wrestler and stops. "You go ahead without me. There's something I have to do."

"Be careful," he calls out as she walks away and she stops. "Damon, I see the way at him."

"Jere, trust me you don't have to worry about that." She turns back around, "it's not like it's going to matter after tonight anyway." She mumbles to herself and continues to walk over to him. "I see Damon's shared with you his theory about the about the Lockwood's having a secret."

"You mean his current obsession."

Alyssa turns in time to see Tyler pins his opponent arm down.

"He's got strength."

"He's a triple letter varsity athlete, of course he has strength. You're reaching."

Mason arrives to arm wrestle against Tyler. "I bet I can take you."

"Enter the uncle." Damon says.

They watch as Tyler and Mason arm wrestle and Mason beats him with ease.

"Okay, he's the champ," Tyler concedes, "who wants to go next?"

Alyssa volunteers Stefan, "Stefan wants to go." She turns to him and smile. "Don't you Stefan."

"Yeah, sure," he turns to her and her smile widens. He turns back to the Tyler. "I'll...give it a shot."

Stefan joins Mason.

"Get him Stef!" Damon shouts out and Alyssa cheers along with him as she watches them exchange words before the match begins. They start the wrestling, both putting in hard pressure. It looks like there even until Mason gets the upper hand and beats him. Stefan gets up and walks back over to them having lost.

Damon is angry that Stefan with him over his loss. "You didn't put in any effort at all."

"Yeah, actually," he turns to him surprise that he was. "I did."

Damon nods off the to the side. "Come with me." Stefan walks away with Damon and Alyssa stays and watches as Mason defeats the next contestant. She follows after them and sees Damon walk up to someone who works with the carnival. She stops besides Stefan and watches.

"What's he up to?"

Damon catches his shoulders and compels him. "I need you to pick a fight with someone, a kid named Tyler Lockwood."

Stefan tries to reason with him. "Damon, don't do this."

Damon motions him away with a brush of his finger. "It's just an experiment. Get him mad, don't back down no matter what he does, okay?"

"I won't back down." The carnival worker agrees.

Damon smiles. "I know you won't."

He releases him and pats him on the back as Carter leaves.

Alyssa walks up to them. "You do know someone is going to get hurt right?"

"No, someone is going to get mad, as in rage."

"What's that going to accomplish?" Stefan fails to see the logic but then he never knows what he's brother's thinking half of the time.

"That Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight. Let's see who intervenes; maybe it's the ambiguous, supernatural mystery uncle." He walks away and Alyssa moves to stand in front of Stefan.

"You should probably follow him. Make sure he doesn't he doesn't get hurt. I'm going to make sure Damon doesn't do anything well, Damon."

"Hey," he reaches out and stops her and she looks back. "How are you doing?"

"Well these lights are hurting my eyes, my heads pounding and my ears and feel like they're about to bleed so nothing I'm not use to."

"That's not what I meant."

"Honestly Stefan, I don't want to think about it. This is my last few hours above ground so I'd like to spend it being a normal teenager and for us this means cleaning up after your brothers messes. So you go make sure your brother doesn't get that guy hurt or worse and I'll reign in Damon's craziness. If I can." She takes the same route she saw Damon takes and runs into Caroline. "Hey, I thought Matt said you weren't getting out of the hospital until tomorrow."

"Well," she shrugs and bubbly smile, "they let me out earlier. Now if you'll excuse me I really need to make sure Elena didn't mess up anything."

She watches her walk away with the shake of her head and goes the way she saw Caroline come from and sees Damon lying on the floor. "Damon," she rushes to him helping him up tucking her hair behind her ears, "what happened?"

He sits up and looking at her as she kneels in front of him. "We have a problem."

Alyssa goes to find Stefan and they meet Elena, and Damon in on of the classrooms. He explains about what happened with Caroline.

Stefan starts off standing at the window and makes his way over to Damon sitting on the desk as he talked. "How did this happen?"

"Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals…"

Elena is standing by the fish tank in the window taking in all the information that she heard. Her best friend was now a vampire. "But why?"

"Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty, little slut."

"What's with the"game on" thing?" Alyssa asks leaning on the desk with her hand next to Damon. "I mean, what does that even mean?"

He looks over his shoulder at her. "It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know."

"But why Caroline?" Elena asks.

"I don't know." Damon didn't have that part figured out.

"Caroline must be completely out of her mind," Stefan was concern, "she doesn't even know what's happening to her."

"Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."

"We have to find her." Stefan didn't want her running out of there alone.

"Yep," Damon agrees but for a different reason, "and kill her."

"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena says firmly.

"She knows who we are. She's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her."

Elena sits her hands on Stefan shoulder in concern and he says, "Damon, absolutely not."

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan? Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end, just flip to the last chapter and…"

"It's not an option Damon." Elena says and something about it sets Alyssa off."

"So it's okay for Stefan to kill my best friend but not yours?"

"Nobody's saying that." Stefan says.

"Really? Cause as sure as hell sounds like it."

Damon looks at Stefan. "Talk about a town where history repeats itself."

Stefan gets up getting in Damon's face so he could understand. "We're not gonna kill her." Stefan leaves and Elena follows.

"It's the only way." Damon says as she passes by them on the way out the door.

Alyssa leans off the desk and crosses her arms.

"I know that look." Damon leans off the desk and looks at Alyssa. "You see Katherine turning Caroline as an opportunity for leveling the playing field."

"No," Damon gives her a look and deep down she knew he was right, "Yes. But I want to do it to protect you and Stefan too. You're right Caroline's a basket case. There is no way she could make it as a vampire. She'd just be putting you and Stefan in danger, killing a whole lot of people in the process."

"So what do you say we go find her and put her down?"

She knew Elena would never forgive her but at this point it really didn't matter.

She nodded and he smiles.

She did say she wanted to protect to people that she cared about, right?