Nothing had changed and yet everything looked so different.

The clock tower was still broken, the town sign was still missing an 'L' and the old white oak tree was still fenced off because the town council thought it was going to fall any day. It'd been eight years and, while to look at, Mystic Falls hadn't aged as she had, it wasn't the town that she'd left behind.

It took every ounce of strength to walk down the streets of her hometown and not succumb to bad memories. She wasn't oblivious to the wide eyes and dropped jaws as those who remembered her saw her walk by, but she pretended to be in a world of her own. If she caught their eye, she knew that they'd ask her about that night, how she'd managed to move on and how brave it was of her to show her face back there again.

"God help me," she whispered to herself and ran her cold hands across her face, hovering over her eyes a little longer.

As she sat in the principal's office, flashbacks of the numerous times her teachers sent her there for skipping class, texting or not paying attention drowned out the voices that plagued her. The large black clock sat behind the desk, the exact same place as it used to, and just like then, she watched the second hand tick, wishing she was somewhere else.

Not once did she think she'd be back in the same place years later, now a mum. Staying in Mystic Falls was never part of their plan, in fact their aim was to get as far away as possible and never look back. But here she was, eight years later, a single mother, back in a town that was plagued with memories she could not hold off for much longer.

"Elena," a familiar voice echoed behind her. "Well here's a face I never thought I'd see again."

"Mason," she smiled back over her shoulder at him. "You're the principal?"

"Who'd have thought it," he joked and sat down behind his desk.

"I wouldn't have pinned you down for the type of guy to settle for an office job. We all thought you'd be off travelling the world with your pack of hippies," she laughed.

"Well," he shrugged. "A lot changed over the years. The whole town is different now."

It was obvious to her as to what he was hinting at. Mystic Falls suffered from gang violence for a long time, long before she was born, but everything changed that night.

It was a tragedy, not just for her but for many of the founding families. Many lives were lost and a lot of people had to say goodbye to their nearest and dearest.

"For what it's worth, Tyler was a lovely guy," she said. "What happened to him-"

"It's okay, Elena," he cut her off. "My family has managed to move on and come to terms with what happened. We weren't the only ones to suffer that night and, as bad as this sounds, that helps to numb the pain slightly."

She wondered if anyone held her accountable or resented her for her involvement. It wasn't her fault and she knew that, and if anything, she lost more that night than anyone else.

"Anyway," Mason changed the subject. "Back to the business at hand - Ted. We're really glad that he's joining us and I just wanted to welcome you personally and just get to know a bit more about your son."

"You don't have to worry about my son," she said. "He won't cause you any trouble. He can be cheeky and a smartmouth, but that's ingrained in his DNA. He's a good lad, Mase."

"I'm sure he won't be, Elena, and that's not my concern," he said. "You know I've seen the picture of him in his file, there's no question about who his father is, is there? Spitting image."

"Yeah," she smiled sadly. "I carried him for nine month, and had the worst morning sickness for all of it, and then laboured for twelve hours. Despite all that, you'd never guess he was mine. It's good for him though, I guess it's like having a part of his dad with him all the time."

Mason went quiet and awkwardly rubbed his hands together. She watched him glance up at a photo on the wall - it was a picture of her school year. He caught her gaze and smiled gently, clearly he understood how the memories would be haunting her.

"Let me be candid, Elena. This town hasn't forgotten what happened that night and although most of us know the truth, rumours have still spread across the years and the stories have changed. Recollections have… warped. Children can be cruel and while we will do everything in our power to make sure Ted isn't affected by the stories, he may be subjected to questioning or Chinese whispers," he said. "His second name holds a lot of weight in this town."

Elena nodded. It wasn't a surprise to her that Mason was concerned about the reception Ted was going to get when he walked through the same halls as she once did. She was well aware that her son was going to find this move difficult, probably more so than her. He was going to hear a lot of stories about his dad, some true and some wildly incorrect.

He knew only to believe the things she told him and not listen to anything anyone else had to say. Ted knew that he only had to ask and she would tell him anything he wanted to know about his father, no matter how bad the truth might be.

"Ted knows everything he wants to know about his father. He knows to only believe the things I tell him."

"That's good to know, Elena. It's lovely to see you again, honestly. We all thought you'd never come back."

"Well my mum needs caring for now. Jeremy is in France and Katherine… well you know where she is. So there's only me left to help."

"Yes," he said with a sympathetic smile. "We're very sorry to hear about Miranda and if you need anything at all, you feel free to reach out to us, and I will do all I can to make Ted feel welcome and happy here."

"Thank you, Mase. I'm under no illusion here, Ted is going to find this hard at times and it will take him time to adjust," she said. "But he will be fine. He's a strong kid."

"Of course he is," Mason replied. He stood up and opened his office door for her. "He's a Salvatore."

They said their goodbyes and Elena was left to walk the empty halls alone. With each footstep the sound of her heels tapping against the hard floor echoed in her mind, completely out of sync with her thumping heart. With a deep breath, she pushed open the doors and stepped out into the fresh air.

"Mummy!" Ted shouted from the grass mound and charged towards her. He wrapped his little arms around her hips and squeezed her with all the strength he could muster. "I got to hold a snake and a spider. Matt couldn't do it. He wasn't brave like me."

Matt rolled his eyes and ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Well that secret lasted all but ten minutes," he joked. "Hey babe."

"Hey," she smiled and looked back down at her raven haired boy. "Did you like it here? Do you think you'd like to go here?"

"If I've gotta go to school, then this is the school I gotta go," Ted said with a solid nod of the head.

He ran back to the mound of grass and rubbed his hands together, ready to climb the old tree that had stood in the school grounds for many years. His obsession with climbing trees was yet another thing that had clearly been passed down through his genes.

"Are you sure about this, Elena?" Matt said. "I told you - we can homeschool him. Is sending him to private school the best thing for him? You know what kids are like."

"I know, but my nan came here, my dad came here and so did I. It's a Gilbert tradition."

"But Ted-"

"Will be fine," she cut him off. "He'll be fine."

"Okay," he smiled and held his hands up in surrender. "I just want what's best for him, you know that. I love him, too."

"I know that," she said and reached out to put her arms around his neck. "And we're so lucky to have you."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and lingered for a little longer than usual. Matt was caring, he was sweet, he was everything most women would dream of and most importantly, he loved Ted as if he was his own. He also knew what she went through, he was there, he was involved. It was nice, comforting in fact, to be with him and sharing secrets that nobody else knew.

But he wasn't stupid and she wasn't the best actress. He knew that his kisses didn't stir up a fire in her belly and that she didn't crave him. He knew that she neither needed him nor relied on him, and she could see that hurt him. She cared deeply for him, in fact, at times, she truly felt like she did love him. But was she in love with him?

"I'll go bring the car around," he said. "I'd go grab Ted before he falls and breaks his arm two days before starting his new school."

She watched him walk away, a feeling of guilt stirring at the bottom of her heart. On one hand, he loved her and felt sad for not reciprocating that feeling but on the other, she wondered how much of that love was out of respect for an agreement he made with his 'leader'.

"Mummy!" Ted yelled from the first branch of the old tree. "Come here. You can see Nana's house."

She shoved those thoughts down, deep down, and turned her focus back to her eight year old boy. She kicked off her shoes at the bottom of the tree and climbed up the tree and shuffled along the branch next to him. And you could. You could see most of the town from the branch, it was kinda beautiful.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She said as she wrapped her arm around her little boy.

"Best seat in the house!"

10 Years Earlier

"I can feel your judgy eyes burning into my skin, Elena," Caroline grumbled.

"I wasn't even looking at you."

"You don't have to," she said. "But you're my best friend, okay? So can you just pretend to be happy for me and keep your judgemental thoughts to yourself."

Elena sighed. She loved Caroline like a sister, god knows her real sister wasn't worth spending much time with. And Caroline wasn't the type of girl to make mistakes or step out of line, her mother was the sheriff and her father was a member of the town's council. She was a good girl, got exceptional grades and had a bright future ahead of her. So when she announced that she was dating a Mikaelson, not just dating but in love with a Mikaelson, Elena couldn't help but be taken aback.

The Mikaelsons were to be avoided, along with the Fells, the St. Johns, the Donovans and most definitely the Salvatores. Mystic Falls had a long history with gang violence. It was as if spilling blood was a part of the town's culture. The council and the sheriff's department had been working hard to eradicate the gangs, put the criminals behind bars and save the town from being torn apart by them, but the roots ran deep and nothing seemed to stop them.

"I'm just worried for you, Care," Elena said as she climbed up the tree to perch next to her friend. "You hear stories about-"

"But that's what they are, Elena. Stories. Klaus is a good guy, they all are."

"They're dangerous."

"They're protective," Caroline said as if she was correcting her. "Klaus would never put me in danger."

"Maybe not on purpose-"

"At all! Elena, you don't get it. You couldn't get it."

"No, Caroline, I don't get it. All I know is Katherine is always hanging around with the Fells and it just gets her in trouble."

"The Fells are dicks, Klaus isn't anything like that. Just… just give him a chance. Please."

She looked around and saw most of the school was deserted by now. If she was going to be hanging around a Mikaelson, she needed to make sure it wouldn't get fed back to her mum. It was bad enough that one of the Gilbert twins was hanging around with the gang folk and it was no secret that the youngest Gilbert was battling a drug addiction and self-harming, though the town pretended there was no such issue.

Elena was known as the only Gilbert going places. She couldn't pull the rug from under the table and be the demise of one of the eldest founding families. It would push her mother over the edge.

The past couple of years had all been about appearances. After her father died, Jeremy crumbled and Katherine threw herself off the rails. Miranda found comfort in the bottle and met a man who wasn't worth any of their time. As her family fell apart, it was left to her to keep the Gilberts standing tall and, boy, was it tiring.

She was tired. She was bored. She was fearful and she was ready to kick the towel in but she couldn't. Grayson, her dad, had worked so hard for everything they had and if she gave up and broke down as she wanted to, all his blood, sweat and tears would have been in vain.

"Juliet, Juliet, let down your hair," someone said behind them.

Caroline's grimace turned into a beaming smile without even seeing him, and a slight pang of jealousy pierced Elena's gut.

She watched as her friend fell back off the branch into the arms of a tall man clad in leather. While her heart leaped into her throat, he caught Caroline easily without a wince or grumble. Elena quickly shuffled herself across the branch and down the tree, straightening out her skirt and top at the bottom. If she'd have known she'd be meeting a Mikaelson after school, she'd have changed out of her cheerleading uniform.

Another guy, probably taller than Klaus, with pitch black hair was leaning back against a motorbike. He was on the phone, looking at the floor, dressed in black jeans, a very fitted black shirt and a leather jacket.

"Elena," Caroline said with her arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders, "this is Klaus. Klaus, this is my best friend Elena."

"Pleasure," he smiled but it was obvious he didn't care that much.

As she opened her mouth to offer a quick hello, the other man stuffed his phone in his pocket and lifted his gaze from the floor.

Almost choking on her own words, Elena felt herself stumble backwards. He was inhuman. Piercing blue eyes, olive complexion and a smirk that screamed 'I know what I'm doing'. He took a few steps forward until she was shoulder to shoulder with Klaus.

She watched as eyes ran over her scantily dressed body. She wrapped her arms around her bare stomach and felt the blush burn her cheeks. Who was this man? If this was a movie, she thought, he'd flick his hair back in slow motion as a 90's rock song played in the background.

It was her turn to study him. His tee hugged him nicely and his tattoos down his right arm were actually more artistic than trashy like most of the ones people had in the town. She'd always wanted a tattoo but she knew that wouldn't look good for the Gilberts.

"Hi," she choked.

"You climb trees regularly?" The guy joked. "What are you? A squirrel?"

She felt herself blush again.

"I like the view," she shrugged.

"Me too," he smirked as his eyes swallowed her up again. "But I've seen better."

"Excuse me?" She snapped. "How dare you-"

"I meant the vista," he laughed. "Jeez."

"Oh. It's the highest point in Mystic Falls, you won't find a better lookout."

"Hmm." He turned away from her and went back to his bike. He threw one leg over the steel black machine and revved the engine. "Here."

He held out his only helmet towards her and dangled it by the straps.

"What?"

"Put it on."

"I ain't getting on that thing with you. I plan on making it to see tomorrow - thank you very much."

"I've been riding bikes since before you were born, baby. This ain't what's gonna kill you. The stick up your ass, however, might," he said with a wiggle of his perfectly arched brows. "Put the helmet on."

Caroline looked at her with pleading eyes and she figured, if she wanted to spend time with her best friend then she was going to have to play nice with the people Caroline chose to spend her time with.

"Fine," she said as she snatched the helmet from his grasp.

He gestured for her to hop on the back of his bike, but instead, she folded her arms across her chest and stood still.

"What now?" He sighed.

"You didn't think I was going to climb on the back of your bike and not know where you're taking me, did you?" She laughed. "I'm a cheerleader. I ain't stupid."

"But I bet you're flexible," he smirked.

She let out a heavy breath and pulled off her helmet to hand him back. He just threw his head back laughing and held his hands up in surrender.

"Fuck me, you're tightly wound. You wanna see a good view, right?"

She glanced back at Caroline who was truly begging her to come along for the ride. If anyone caught her, she thought, the news would travel back to her mum quicker than this bike could go.

The helmet in her hand suddenly felt like a huge weight.

"I'm telling you to come see a good view, not to climb in my bed," he said. "Although-"

"Alright," she snapped and finally put the helmet back on. "Happy?"

"I'd be happier if you climbed in my bed but seeing a good view will suffice. Now get on and hold on."

She threw her leg over the bike and wobbled the helmet around until it sat comfortably. It wasn't her first time on a bike, her dad had driven her around on some of the bikes he had in the garage many times. Not that her mother knew, however.

She loosely wrapped her arms around his waist and secretly grinned when she felt his skin twitch against her touch.

"I'm Damon by the way."

Oh fuck, she thought. A Salvatore. It couldn't get any worse. The sensible voice in her head screamed for her to get off, turn around and walk home. Everybody knew the name Damon Salvatore and the stories people told about him were enough to chill your bones. And yet, despite the voices and by throwing all common sense out the door, she held onto him tighter.

"I'm Elena."

He turned to face and gently checked the clip resting beneath her chin. She was grateful for sitting on the leather seat as her knees would surely have buckled beneath her. Looking at him close up, almost nose to nose, she saw just how beautiful he really was. How could such a beautiful man do such atrocious things?

Before she had a chance to comment on his lack of helmet, the engine roared to life and the wheels skid across the grass, leaving muddy tire prints in the mound.

The fresh crisp air blasted her face, but it wasn't painful. It was refreshing. She all but wanted to hold her hands out to the side and pretend to glide as he flew around corners. She thought she'd be scared, untrusting of his driving skills, but she wasn't even nervous. She didn't flinch or shake. In fact, she felt safer on the back of Damon's bike than she had done in a long time.

She laughed at herself. She felt safer with a lead gang member, notorious around Mystic Falls, known for being a playboy than she had within her own family home, under the same roof as her mother, brother and twin sister.

His bike came to a stop by the town's broken clocktower. Nobody knew quite how it got broken but the council never bothered to fix it.

"If you thought that was a good view, this will blow your mind," he whispered in her ear.

She laughed. Obviously he was joking, right?

"We can't go up there," she screeched.

"We can do whatever we like."

He wiggled the door handle at the bottom of the tower and glanced over his shoulder to check the coast was clear. With nobody looking, he took a few steps back and kicked in the door effortlessly.

Her heart fluttered.

She quickly followed him up the stairs while Caroline and Klaus took the moment of privacy to makeout against the brickwall.

He took the stairs two, three at a time while her little legs could barely keep up.

He knocked through the second door and a blast of cold air filled the stairwell. He held out his hand to help her up the small incline and tugged her out onto the ledge in front of the clock.

"Wow," she whispered.

She could see the lake, the mountains and the dockyard, and just about the lights from the next town on. But that wasn't what took her breath away. It was the intense feeling of sheer freedom. All of a sudden everything went quiet. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh, innocent air.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" He said.

"Yeah, you come here often?"

"Are you hitting on me, Elena?" He smiled smugly and she gave him a knowing look. "Once or twice."

"It's beautiful. It's like you have to whisper."

She saw him look at her from the corner of her eye and her skin shivered. All the hairs on her arms stood on end. She placed her hand on her chest as she felt the nervous palpitations.

"Yeah," he said. "Best seat in the house."