Elena was getting ready to head to school. "Jer, come on! We've got school! Let's go." Jenna stopped her.

"Forgot this." She handed her a thermos.

"Thank you." Elena opened the door and was surprised to find John outside.

"Elena!"

"Uncle John! Hi."

"Jenna."

"John, you're here." Jenna said.

"I said I'd be here before noon."

"What you say and what you do are generally two different things." Jenna said. Elena was in shock. What would happen if their uncle found out about them? Just then, Jeremy came down stairs.

"Uncle John! What a surprise."

"Hey, kid." John looked at the family. "I had some business in town, thought a visit was in order."

"How long are you staying?" Elena asked.

"I don't know yet."

"Well, we have to get to school. See you later." Elena said. They both headed out the door before he could say anything else.

"So, how are we going to hide everything?" Jeremy asked.

"I'll see if Stefan or Anna can help." Elena told him. "It'll be fine."

"Yeah, I guess." Jeremy said.

At the school, Elena finished explaining things to Matt. "He said his trip is open ended."

"Uncle John, never really liked that guy." Matt said.

"Does anyone?" Elena pointed out.

"Is he really that bad?" Stefan asked, joining them.

"He can be a little mean sometimes." Elena said. "And he's on the Council." She whispered to him.

"I'm here for moral support if you need me." Matt told her.

"Thanks, but don't you have your own family crisis to deal with?" By now, almost everyone had heard about Vicki and Tyler's break-up.

"I know, but it's kinda getting worse. It's a miracle Vic and my mom are even talking." Matt said.

"Well, if you need me…" Elena began.

"Thanks."

"I'm guessing you're girlfriend's not helping." Stefan told him.

"You have no idea." Matt said. "She tried to console her, but I think she made it worse, going on and on about how Tyler acted like such a jerk."

"And you're caught in the middle considering that you two are friends." Elena said.

"Exactly."

Outside, Jeremy was outside with Tyler. "Hey."

"Hey. I'm guessing you heard."

"I'm just sorry I'm the reason you guys broke up." Jeremy told him.

"It's no big deal, man."

"Maybe not to you, but Vicki's pretty upset about it."

"Well maybe she should think about who she should be going out with instead of hitting on practically half the guys in school." Tyler said. He got up and left.

Elena met Alaric in his classroom. "Hey, I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm okay, thanks to you guys."

"Would've been in trouble if you're brother hadn't shown up."

"I'm just glad that it's over." Elena said.

"How do you deal with all this? I mean, you have to lie to almost everyone."

"It's not safe for them to know about this." Elena said. "Not even Jenna."

"What about the blood bond with Stefan?"

"I think it'll be fine." Elena said. "Besides, they're temporary at best."

After school, the Gilbert family except for Elena were upstairs. "I'm really not interested in the Founder's Day kickoff party." Jeremy said.

"It's tradition." John pointed out.

"It will be our role to break tradition." Jenna told him.

"The Gilberts have been a part of this town for over a hundred and fifty years." John said. "We're one of the founding families and that means we have to be there. One day when you understand more about it, I'll tell you more about your heritage." Jeremy just listened, figuring it was better not to tell him he already knew everything.

"Right, the Gilbert Family Legacy." Jenna said. "I forgot how sacred it was. I'm not a Gilbert, so I was never cool enough to hear it."

"Why does she hate you?" Jeremy asked while her back was turned.

"We used to sleep together." John told him. Suddenly, a bag was thrown at him.

"I'm standing right here." She pointed out.

Upstairs, Elena and Stefan were hanging out together. "How did you guys know where to find me the other day?"

"Pearl told Damon where they were staying, and I'm guessing Jer hitched a ride with Anna." Stefan told her.

"I'm glad he showed up when he did." Elena said. "If he hadn't, you guys would probably be…"

"Yeah, I know. Still nothing on Isobel?"

"I haven't been looking." Elena said. "Not since the fundraiser."

"How are you, anyway?"

"I'm okay." Elena said. "Though I am worried about what'll happen if John finds out about us."

"You can always move your supplies into our downstairs store room."

"Thanks."

"It's weird, but for some reason, it's like I can feel what you feel."

"It's the blood bond." Elena explained. "We can sense each other's emotions."

"Is it always like that?"

"I don't know. I've only heard of them."

"Do they last long?"

"It depends. They can last anywhere between a few days or couple weeks." Elena said.

"Maybe we should talk with someone that might know more about this stuff." Stefan suggested.

"You're right. Hey, thanks for stopping by." She said as he started to get up.

"Anytime. I'd do anything to make sure you were okay getting back home." He pointed out. She kissed him lightly before he left.

A few minutes later, Damon showed up. "Thanks for coming."

"You know I'd always come if you needed help. What's up?" Elena led him upstairs so they could talk privately. "By the way, your Uncle's been hanging around the Founder's Council."

"What?" Elena groaned. "That's just great. If he finds out what we are, he'll have us killed."

"So what's up?" Damon asked.

"What do you know about blood bonds?" Elena asked. "Between vampires and humans."

"I know that while it's in effect, it can be different depending on the person. Sensing emotions, others can hear thoughts, sometimes they can read each other's aura, but that one's rare." Damon told her.

"Do you have any idea how long they last?"

"I think it all depends on the connection between the two. It could be a few days, or it could be up to at least two weeks."

"Is there any way to break it?" Elena asked him.

"Not that I know of. If there is a way to break a blood bond, it would probably be painful for both parties involved. The best solution is to wait for it to fade."

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"I've done research on this stuff ever since I thought those guys…never mind." He said quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that back up." Elena said. She knew he was probably still hurting over the whole Katherine thing.

"It's no problem. I've got bigger things to worry about than this."

That afternoon, Elena and Jeremy were walking through the park. "I can't believe that she's the one that did this." Jeremy told her.

"You mean Anna? Actually, I'm kinda relieved she did." Elena said.

"Why?"

"Because we still have each other. I don't want to think of what would have happened if only one of us survived."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Alaric mentioned you helped them out the other day." Elena said, changing the subject. "How'd you find out where we were?"

"Anna and I convinced her mother to help when we explained the problem." Jeremy told her.

"I haven't seen her around lately."

"She's probably been busy. I still feel bad about Vicki and Tyler breaking up, though."

"It wasn't you're fault."

"Easy for you to say." Jeremy said. A thought came to him then. "Is this what it was like when you broke up with Matt?"

That night, the group reluctantly attended the Founder's Party. "Are you sure you wanna be here? These things can get pretty boring." Elena said.

"We kinda have to be here, we're a founding family, too, remember?"

"Just saying."

"You okay? You seem kind of…"

"Just having a little problem with my brother, but it's not too serious." Elena said.

"This still about Vicki, isn't it?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah." Elena said. "It's complicated." She left the room, only to run right into Damon, literally.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, I'm not hurt." Elena told him. "What's up?"

"I just saw you're brother down the hall. He seemed a little depressed." Damon told her. "I figured you'd want to talk to him."

"Thanks."

She found him sitting by himself. "Jer?" He looked at her. "Damon said you had a run in with Vicki."

"Yeah. Her mother told me never to go near her again." Jeremy said. "I was trying to apologize about the whole thing with Tyler."

"She's probably just trying to keep her from getting hurt." Elena said.

"I know."

"Are you really okay?"

"I just feel really guilty about it. Is this what it was like when you and Matt broke up?"

"Yeah, it was hard and I felt guilty for a while." Elena admitted. "But then we were both able to move on and found other people. One day, so will you."

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish I wasn't the reason they broke up."

"Hey, she was jealous." Elena said. "It happens. But she'll find someone who loves her for who she is."

A little while later, she ran into Matt. "Hey. I didn't know you were coming."

"The girls wanted to be here, so I kinda got dragged along." Matt explained. "I'm just glad they're on a civil tone for once."

"Yeah, thank goodness for that." Elena said.

"Anyway, we should get going soon. I just need to find them."

"I'll help." Elena offered. They headed upstairs. "Uh, Matt…" They entered a room to find Tyler and Mrs. Donovan talking.

"Stay away from my kids from now on."

"Matt's my friend. You're not going to stop me from seeing him."

"Try me."

"Mom, it's fine." Matt said, entering the room.

"No, I forbid him from coming to our house. He broke my daughter's heart."

"Yeah, well guess what? Tyler's my friend and Vicki and I have been doing better off without you in our lives."

"Matt…"

"Just go. Don't even talk to me right now…"

"Matt, just let me explain…"

"Explain what? How you're being a horrible parent right now?" Vicki asked, entering the room.

"No kidding. At least my mom's not a control freak." Tyler said. Suddenly, Matt struck him.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother that way."

"You know what they say, you can't fight the truth." Next thing everyone knew, they were fighting each other.

"Ty! Tyler, stop it!" Vicki yelled. A crowd had gathered, watching the scene in front of them. Elena looked at them, scared for Matt. It took a while, but finally, the Mayor and Carol were able to break it up.

Elena felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened?" She relaxed when she heard her boyfriend's voice.

"They got into a fight. It was kinda intense." She explained.

"I don't believe this." A voice said.

"Vicki?" Tyler asked.

"I've never seen anyone so reckless before." Vicki told him. "Do you realize what happened here? You could've killed him, Ty. You could've killed my brother."

"I don't know what happened, I just got so angry…"

"Save it." Vicki said. "It makes me glad we're broken up. I didn't realize what a jerk you were until now." She walked out of the room, helping Matt on the way out.

The Gilberts returned home shortly after that little disaster. "Not so excited that we have another month of these Founder's Day events." Jenna said.

"Tell me about it." Elena said.

"I'm just glad Vic's doing okay." Jeremy told her, heading to his room.

Elena headed into her room, to find Stefan waiting for her. "Whoa. A little warning would've been nice."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked.

"I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena told him. "How did you find me so fast, anyway?"

"I felt your fear back there. My only thoughts from that point were about making sure you weren't hurt or anything." Stefan explained. Elena sat down next to him and took his hands.

"You're worried about me."

"Yeah, I am."

"Man, this bond thing is strange." Elena said.

"You're telling me. At least it'll only be another few days, right?"

"I hope so." Elena told him. "Hey, we'll get through this together. I know it." They embraced each other then. "I love you, no matter what happens."

"I love you too."