Godrick stood in front of his mirror fixing his hair. Today was the first day back at school, and for the first time in his life his parents will not be there to wish him good luck. It was a depressing thought; one he was determined not to have again. He was the eldest of his siblings, he might only be a few minutes older than his twin, but he was the man of the family and he could not help but feel responsible for them.
He could still remember his father taking him aside when he turned twelve. They had had a picnic at Steven's Creek for his birthday, his siblings were playing frisbee while his mother took care of the food and his father took him on a stroll through the woods. He shared the family secrets with him and opened his eyes to the dangers of the world. At the end of the conversation his father gave him an old, weathered leather-bound book and made him swear to protect his siblings from the horrors of the world.
It seemed like so long ago now that he made that promise but he intended to keep it if it is the last thing he ever did. Godrick was a realist, he talked to his uncle John, he knew the dangers his sister was in and he knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up to her. That knowledge only made him more determined. And it was with this resolution in mind that he put on the ring his father gave him.
Checking that he had everything he needed the young man took his backpack and made his way down the stairs. Arriving in the kitchen he found the rest of his family.
His aunt Jenna was going through her purse in search of something. Elena was pouring herself a cup of coffee and Jeremy was adding what he guessed to be milk and sugar to his own cup. Looking at his aunt with frowned brows Godrick spoke up.
"Don't you have a big presentation today?"
The three occupants of the room jumped at his sudden appearance before Jenna looked at her watch as she answered him.
"I'm meeting my thesis advisor at" squinting to see the time better her eyes widened. "now. Crap"
Freeing her hair from its messy bun she gathered her stuff as Elena reassured her.
"Then go. We'll be fine."
Smiling gratefully Jenna took her purse and other necessities before going out the door. Turning to look at her brothers, Elena let a sympathetic expression cross her face.
"You okay?"
Jeremy however was not welcoming of the concern as he rolled his eyes and made his way out of the kitchen, coffee in hand.
"Don't start."
Turning to her other brother, she raised an eyebrow to convey the same question, hopping for a better answer. Sighting the eldest made his way to his sister and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"I'm fine Elena. I'll see you at school."
Taking one of the toasts on the kitchen counter and putting it in his mouth he made his way out the door, taking the keys to his motor bike on the way. Walking down the porch's stairs he made his way to his black hybrid 47. It was a birthday present from his uncle. Swinging his leg over the seat, he put on his helmet and started the engine. Taking of the security lever he took off towards the school. It was a 15 mins drive from his house to the school. If he made it in 10 then no one has to know.
Parking his bike and taking of his helmet, Godrick set his eyes on the people milling around the school, a smile on his face. The start of the school year always made him happy, it was like a self-imposed opportunity to reinvent yourself and he was going to take it. Now if only he could make friends with other people than his sister's friends that would be great.
Oh, who was he kidding, he could barely tolerate his sister's guy friends and they were the only remotely interesting people in the whole school, there was no way he would meet anyone else he could hang out with. That depressing thought in mind he made his way inside.
He doesn't know how he did it, but he managed to avoid every one of his friends before the first period of class and he was grateful for it. He didn't want to have to deal with the constant platitudes people gave him about his parents. You would think people understood that a daily reminder of a tragic event was not the way to help someone move on.
Lucky for him first period was one of his favorite class. Unluckily for him the teacher was a total dick and let's be honest he was a terrible teacher. Godrick prayed every night that Tanner will have a terrible accident and a good history teacher will come along and teach them something useful.
He zoned out for so long that he didn't notice the other students coming in and Tanner talking.
"Once our state of Virginia joined confederacy in 1861..."
Drowning out the teacher's voice Godrick look around himself. His sister was seated in front of him, Matt was in the other ail two seats behind, and Bonnie was a seat beside him. It didn't take long for the Gilbert boy to notice his friends looking at a boy he'd never seen before, it took him even less time to notice the new guy was looking at his sister.
Taking his phone out of his pocket, Godrick didn't bother with discretion as he typed a text and hit send. He hadn't put his phone away that his sister was taking out her own cell to look at her messages.
'The new guy is staring at you. Want me to punch him in the face? ?'
Ok so he wrote his text in full letters, sue him, he respected the English language. All that mattered was that his text brought a smile to his sister's face and he couldn't ask for more. His duty has a brother was done; his day was well spent. Now if only the teacher could try to teach something actually interesting that would be great.
A few hours later Godrick found himself at the Mystic Grill. He somehow got roped by Caroline into giving her a ride on his bike and now he has to listen to her and Bonnie talk about the new guy in town.
"His name his Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue."
To say Bonnie and Godrick were a little freaked out by the amount of information was an understatement and the Bennet girl was the one brave enough to voice their opinion, sort of.
"You got all of that in one day?"
The scoff the blonde gave her was telling in and of itself.
"Oh, please, i got that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding."
If there is one thing Godrick knows for sure it is to never underestimate Caroline's ability to get information, or her delusion when it comes to boys.
An hour later and Godrick, Matt and Bonnie were seating at a table talking about Elena. Well, Godrick and Bonnie were talking, Matt was moaning.
"How's Elena doing?"
When one of his best friends and his sister started dating, Godrick promised himself he wouldn't get involved, so he let Bonnie handle it. Casting a look at the boy seating next to her, the Bennet girl answered as tactfully as she could.
"Her mom and dad died. How do you think?"
Looking once more at the boy next to her she noticed his impassive expression, so she went on. It was better not to dwell on the subject for too long.
"She is putting on a good face, but it's only been four months."
Nodding in understanding the boy gathered his courage and asked.
"Has she said anything about me?"
The hopeful note in his tone was heart breaking but Bonnie stayed strong. She knew how her friend felt about Matt and she wasn't going to be the one to tell him.
"Oh no. So not getting in the middle. You pike up the phone and call her."
That wasn't the answer the boy hoped to get and with good reason.
"I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me."
Unfortunately, Bonnie didn't have the magic solution to his problem.
"Give her time Matt."
It was as if the gods were trying to prove her wrong as Elena walked into the Grill, the new guy along with her. Turning back to his two friends, the quarterback huffed a breath before standing up.
"More time, huh?"
Matt made his way to the new arrivals as Bonnie and Godrick watched a sympathetic expression on their faces.
Five minutes later Caroline, Bonnie, Elena, Stefan and Godrick were seating around a table trying to get know each other. Well, it was more of a 'interrogate the new guy' type of thing and Caroline was the spear head of the movement.
"So, you were born in Mystic Falls? "
Stefan didn't seem uncomfortable with the questions and answered happily, occasionally exchanging looks with Elena.
"And moved when I was still young"
Humming along Bonnie asked her own question.
"Parents?"
A pained expression crossed the Salvatore's face as he answered.
"My parents passed away."
At the news Godrick couldn't help but comment.
"You'll fit right in to the town then. We all have bad luck with parents."
The atmosphere turned awkward for a second before his sister came to the rescue.
"Any siblings?"
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be a good subject either if the way Stefan stiffened was anything to go by.
"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle."
Godrick seemed to be the only one to notice how vague the Salvatore was being with his answers. Caroline took the lull in the conversation as an opportunity to change the subject.
"So, Stefan, if you're new then you don't know about the party tomorrow."
Seeing the confusion on his face Bonnie spoke up.
"It's a back-to-school thing at the falls."
Understanding crossed the boy's face before he turned his head to face Elena.
"Are you going?"
The girl was about to respond negatively when her brother kicked her under the table and her friend answered in her stead.
"Of course, she is." Sending her brother and her best friend a betrayed look the Gilbert girl looked back at her new crush and smile in agreement, missing the self-satisfied look exchanged between Bonnie and her brother.
The next day found the little group of friends back in history class. Today was a special day, they are actually going to learn something, even if that something was about their own town and therefore completely useless in the outside world.
"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls" Oh, something important happened in their little town, what a rarity. "How many casualties resulted in this battle?"
Looking around the room, Tanner found his first victim of the day.
"Miss Bennet?"
Bonnie looked up from whatever she was scribbling on her note pad, a clueless expression on his face.
"Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."
The class laughed at her answer, but Tanner was not amused. He smiled mirthlessly as he chastised her ruthlessly.
"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennet. Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"
Matt was slouched on his desk, as he shrugged of the jab send his way.
"It's ok Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."
Again, the class laughed as their teacher searched for his next victim.
"Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about the town's most significantly historical event?"
Elena pursed her lips, the amusement from Matt's answer leaving her mind as she was put on the spot.
"I'm sorry. I... I don't know."
Tanner's expression turned hard has the next words left his lips.
"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But personal excuses ended with summer break."
Now that was humiliating and borderline verbal abuse and that was something Godrick would not stand for. Especially when it came to his twin.
"There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians." Lifting his head from where it was resting on his fist the Gilbert boy continued. "And I would watch my tone if I were you, unless you like being punched in the face."
Now if it were anyone else Tanner would have probably have them send out of class but Godrick was one of his best students and the cold look in his eyes let him know that if he punched to hard the boy will make good on his promise, and damn the consequences. So, he went for the peaceful resolution.
"Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."A new voice spoke up as the teacher made his way back to the bord.
"Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."
Tanner was left sufficiently chastised as the rest of the class smiled. It wasn't every day that someone out Tannered Tanner and they were all happy to have been there to witness it.
Godrick was at the falls, party goers drinking and generally having fun around him has he pumped the keg of beer to fill his cup. He wasn't a fan of beer, but he came here on his bike and he had no intensions of crashing it on the way back home so anything stronger was out of the question.
Stepping away from the keg once his cup was full the boy made his way through the crowd and toward his sister when he bumped into someone else. He, by some miracle, managed to save his cup from losing any of its bitter cargo before looking up to see who the poor victim to his wandering mind was.
"Stefan! Hey you came!"
The other boy nodded with an easy smile.
"Yeah. I'm already the new guy you know. Didn't also want to be the only hight schooler who didn't come to the party."
Raising his brow in skepticism the Gilbert boy spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"And the fact that my sister would be here had nothing to do with your journey into depravation."
Stefan was about to protest but one raised brow from the eldest Gilbert stopped him, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
"Am I that obvious?"
Smirking at the other's embarrassment, Godrick patted him on the back in a sympathetic gesture as he nodded his head yes.
"Yeah, sorry man."
They both laughed a little at Stefan's lack of subtlety before a serious expression crossed the Gilbert's face.
"She's by the fire with Bonnie but before you go see her, I want to say something."
Looking at his crush's brother Stefan saw the hard look on his face he had seen a few times before and braced himself for the shovel talk he knew was coming.
"I love my twin more than I love myself so if you hurt her I'll stake you."
Not giving the other time to react to his words, Godrick patted the Salvatore on the back one more time before walking away.
If he had looked back, he would have seen the look on confusion cross the eternally young face as the vampire turned the word in his head. But that wasn't what the 100 something year old was focusing on, strangely enough, because he could have sworn that he felt pain in a way he'd never felt before right when Godrick touched him.
Godrick wasn't much one for parties he was more the type of guy to stand on the sidelines and watch the chaos happen, so he wasn't there when Elena came out of the woods screaming as Jeremy caried a bleeding Vicky through the crowd. But he was beside his sister now has the ambulance leaves, Matt and Vicky in two.
Standing behind his sister he was on the phone trying to reach Jenna as Bonnie approached.
"Hey. We're gonna go to Mainline Coffee, wait for news." Nodding in understanding Elena rebuffed the unspoken offer to join.
"I gotta take Jeremy home." Bonnie smiled and was about to walk away when she hesitated. Taking a breath, she turned back to face her friend a grime look on her face.
"Elena, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or think I saw, i have a feeling..."
she trailed of as she tried to find the right words. Elena, being who she is, pressed for answers.
"Bonnie, what?"
The Bennet girl looked almost scared as she answered, as if saying it out loud would make it true.
"That it's just the beginning."
Godrick, who had been listening to the whole exchange greeted his teeth, his phone creaking has he squeezed his hand tightly. So, it had begun. He didn't waste any time as he made his way to his bike and drove has fast as he could to his house.
Running up the porch's steps he opened the door, glad to see his aunt was already in bed, and made his way to his room on the first floor. Locking his door behind himself he went to his bookshelf. Putting his hands of either side of it he made it slide across the floor as soundlessly as he could to reveal a hidden square carved into the wall. Putting his right hand on it he applied pressure in three different places, one after the other.
A small click resounded through the wall as the square lifted of allowing him to put it on the floor and accesses what was hidden behind it. In the hole on the wall was a small shelf filled with herbs and other odd object, talismans, and the like. The thing he was looking for was in a jar on the lower shelf. Taking it in hand he put on his night stand and proceeded to put everything back into place.
Two hours later his siblings were back, and his business was done. He was about to go to bed and take a well-deserved rest when he heard a noise down the stairs. Looking out his window he saw his sister talking to the Salvatore boy and inviting him in. He was going to have to have a talk with his sister about who she invited into the house. They were lucky it was only Stefan. Godrick may not have known him long but he knew enough to know he wouldn't be a danger to his friends and family. At least not yet.