A/N: I do not own The Vampire Diaries universe. This story is a product of my escapism.
Yawning, Jenna made her way downstairs the next morning and stopped dead. A soft smile worked its way up her face as she took in a sight she had not seen in years.
On the sofa in the living room, Alex and Elena were sleeping, curled up together in a way that reminded Jenna of puppies.
Alex must have gotten in late last night, she mused, as she crept past them into the kitchen.
Soon, the clinking of dishes roused the two out of their slumber. Alex blearily made his way to the kitchen. Upon seeing her, he smiled and draped himself over her as she ate at the kitchen island.
"Aunt Jenna! Good morning! Did you miss me?" He said cheerily.
"Get off of me, Alex, you're heavy! And yes, I did miss you. When did you get in last night?"
Laughing, he went over to the counter and got a glass of water.
Leaning against the counter, he took a sip and said, "I got in around eleven, I think? Met Elena's new beau as he was leaving. I don't think I like him very much."
Snorting, Jenna dryly said, "You don't like any of Elena's boyfriends. Remember, you said you didn't like Matt when they started dating, even though you are close friends."
Alex waved his hand as if it was not important. She chuckled but let it go.
"How was the drive down from New York?"
"It was great, cold but very nice."
"Now, onto more urgent things, where are you going to sleep?"
Alex ran a hand through his hair, tousling his dark curls even more.
He looked pained.
"Have we cleared out Mom and Dad's room? I guess I can take that bedroom if everything is stripped from there."
Jenna was similarly upset, but soldiered on, "Yes, we cleared out all of their things. We can go out and buy some furniture for you if you want."
"That sounds good, Auntie. Thank you."
"We did leave your father's office as it is, since you said you wanted to go through everything yourself."
A dark look passed over his face.
"Yes, it's better if I go through it alone. It might upset the others."
A somewhat strained silence descended over them. Alex glared at the wall beside him.
Jenna cleared her throat, "What are your plans for today?"
"Well, first of all, I need to shower," He grimaced and picked at his clothes. "And then, see if I can meet our friends, I guess."
Nodding, Jenna got up and put her bowl in the sink. Washing her hands, she said, "By the way, where's Elena? I heard her get up."
"She went to clean up. She is planning on sticking to me like a burr today, I was told in no uncertain terms."
She grinned at that, "Of course she is, this happens every time you two are away from each other for more than a month. And don't lie, you are going to do the exact same thing."
He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Alex drove the two of them to the Mystic Grill.
"I've asked Bonnie and Caroline to meet us at the Grill. Matt and Tyler are going to be there too. I didn't tell them you were back, so you get to surprise everyone," Elena said.
"Lucky me," Alex muttered sarcastically, but subsided at the fiery glare from his twin.
"Don't you dare. I thought you wanted to meet our friends. What happened in the past five minutes to change that?" She demanded.
He grimaced but answered obediently, "I kinda forgot to drink coffee. Jenna distracted me, so now I'm really decaffeinated right now. You know how I get."
She sighed at that, and said, "We'll get you your coffee at the Grill, okay? Just be a little more enthusiastic so you don't hurt their feelings."
They quickly arrived at the Mystic Grill and parked. Hopping out of Alex's SUV, they made their way inside, Alex throwing an arm around her.
Adjusting their eyes to the dim interior, the twins looked around to search for their friends.
A loud squeal of "Alex!" to their right caused them to turn their heads, just in time for Alex to brace himself for the blonde leaping into his arms.
He got a faceful of sunshiney blond curls as Caroline collided with him. He spun her around as they hugged and set her back on the ground, a soft smile on his face as he pulled back to gaze at her. She beamed at him.
"I missed you! How are you? How was New York? How are you dealing with everything? There is so much you need to catch up on, oh my god," Caroline babbled cheerfully.
"Hey, Care. I missed you too. I'm good, New York is always amazing. How are you?" He asked, running his eyes over, checking to see if she was fine. Elena's explanation of what she had gone through haunted him. His eyes darkened at that thought. He needed to have a chat with Damon Salvatore.
A slight cough from Elena jarred him out of his preoccupation. A glance towards her showed slight exasperation on her face, which turned into pained understanding when she glimpsed his face, deducing his thoughts through their twin intuition. He looked beyond Caroline and saw Bonnie who was clearly trying to hide her smile.
"Hey Bon, good to see you," he greeted her, smiling, letting go of Caroline.
"Hey, Alex, good to see you back in Mystic Falls. At least now Elena will stop moping," Bonnie replied, throwing a teasing glance at Elena. Elena mock-scowled at that, but noticeably did not respond.
He was about to join in on the teasing, when someone voiced from behind him, "Well, well, look at that, people. The prodigal son has finally returned home!"
Turning, Alex's face broke out in a broad grin. Tyler and Matt were weaving through the tables, making their way towards them.
"Hey Ty, glad to see that you are still a jackass. At least something has not changed around here," Alex joked, reaching out to clasp his hand, pulling him in for a short manly hug.
Turning to Matt, he did the same, "Hey man, how are you?"
After they finished greeting each other, they all sat at a table. It had been quite a while since they all had gathered together, partly due to Alex being in New York for University. They all had grown up together, and thus being close friends for ages.
The group continued chatting for hours, catching Alex up on what was new. They laughed and joked, childhood memories being brought up to tease each other. Though Alex did notice that none of the others, save Bonnie, were aware of the presence of supernatural creatures in Mystic Falls. He needed to change that, he mused, as their mere presence around the twins and Bonnie was enough to make them a target. Starting with Caroline, seeing as she had already been targeted by a vampire. She needed to know what exactly had happened. He had always believed in the adage that knowledge is power.
When the topic turned to their love lives, Caroline turned to Alex and asked, "So, Alex, were you seeing anyone in New York?"
"Yes, I was. However, we broke up a week ago. It was amicable, we both knew we had an expiration date," Alex answered, a bit wistful, as flashes of silky blonde curls, bright blue eyes and miles of tan flesh ran through his mind.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Bonnie said, "But, expiration date?"
He shrugged. "He was from Greece, here on an exchange program. We dated for about six months," He half-lied.
He did not have any problem with them knowing he was into men. He had come out three years ago as bisexual, and thank the gods, they had been completely fine about it. He had been especially worried about Tyler, as he gave off macho douchebag vibes, but he had surprisingly accepted him coming out of the closet.
His lover had been Greek, but what he left out was that he had not been mortal at all. But he couldn't exactly tell anyone that.
Gods were fickle and temperamental. Alex had been surprised their liaison had lasted as long as it had. At least they had parted on good terms and not heartbreak. He could look back and see only fond memories. And occasional wanking material.
He changed the subject, "So, everyone, give me your impressions of Stefan Salvatore. I need to see if he is worth my sister's heart."
Elena whacked him on his arm, and told the others sternly, "Don't you guys dare. I know how you guys are like with anyone one of us dates. Or did you forget Bonnie's last boyfriend, Tom?"
"Ooh,Tommy-boy," Matt and Tyler chorused, snickering.
Bonnie had her head in her hands, likely regretting knowing any of them.
When they got home, Alex turned to his sister, stopping her from going upstairs.
"We need to tell the others everything. They will be in danger just through sheer proximity to us. Jeremy and Caroline have already been hurt by vampires. They need to know. Including Jenna."
"B-but," Elena protested, "It's better if they don't know anything. To protect them. We can give them vervain. Besides, it's not our secret to tell. We should discuss it with Stefan and Damon."
"Have you forgotten what I am? We both are a part of the supernatural world. And so is Bonnie. And do you really think keeping everyone in the dark, where they are even more vulnerable due to their ignorance, is the right thing to do?"
"No," She sighed, "You're right. We should at least inform everyone of the basics."
"Not just the basics, Elena," Alex warned, "They deserve more. We have been friends with them for ages. And to soothe your worry that they might tell anyone else, I can bespell them to keep the information secret. Okay?"
"Okay," Elena nodded. Then said, "Wait. What do you mean that I am a part of the supernatural world, too? I thought I don't have magic?"
He smacked himself on the forehead. "I knew I had forgotten something. you said you found out that you look identical to Katherine Pierce, right?" At her hesitant nod, he continued, "That means you are a Doppelgänger. It is a supernatural phenomenon which occurs every century or so. Your blood is extremely potent and valuable."
Elena looked shaken at that. Alex clicked his tongue and brought her into his arms. They stood in silence.
A/N: Please review!