Disclaimer: See prologue. some dialogue is taken right from the episodes, cuz it's hard not to ya know?

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I haven;t given up, don't worry, I hope i didn't lose a lot of readers.

Right from the start, you were a thief,
You stole my heart, and I your willing victim
I let you see the parts of me that weren't all that pretty,
And with every touch you fixed them.

Now you've been talking in your sleep, oh, oh
Things you never say to me, oh, oh
Tell me that you've had enough
Of our love, our love

Just give me a reason
Just a little bit's enough
Just a second we're not broken just bent
And we can learn to love again

... ... ...

Kenzie woke up to someone shaking her awake.

"Kenz? Red, wake up."

As she became aware of her surroundings, she shot straight up in bed, stopping herself at the last second to reach for the neck of Damon, who was shaking her.

"You were crying in your sleep." Damon looked at her with concern.

"I was?" She asked, trying to play dumb.

"Yes, you kept crying that you killed him and something about a monster."

She gave him a weak smile. "Odd, I don't remember that."

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Stefan just stopped by, he wants to meet Bonnie at the Witch house before school. Want to come?"

Another nod as she got up and disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. She felt drained, like she had no rest and she knew it was because of her dreams. She still dreamed about the first guy she had killed. She didn't want to kill people, it hurt too much to know she had played God and decided who did and didn't live. Katherine had told her it got easier and it did and she hated that.

Now she sighed, not bothering with makeup at the moment as she put her hair into a high ponytail, before going back into her room to put her cheerleader uniform on. There was a game that night and she briefly wondered if Rebekah would be there. Would the Original hate her, even though she didn't have a hand in what happened? Kenzie really hoped not. For some reason, she really liked the blonde but truth was Kenzie liked all the wrong people.

She stuffed everything into her backpack and went downstairs to see Damon sitting on the couch, one hand casually swung over the back of it. She could hear her Dad's soft snores coming from his room and didn't worry about him coming down and ruining her cover. She knew she had to get him off vervain again for a couple days to alter his compulsion to not speak about her vampirism, especially if Damon was back to dropping in whenever. She hated the compelling him but not as much as she hated not having him on vervain for even a couple days.

"You have a game tonight?" Damon asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes." She replied.

"You're going?"

"Why wouldn't I? It would look weird if the captain wasn't there."

He shrugged. "I don't know, it seems weird with all this shit going down."

Kenzie shot him an annoyed look. "Would you like me to drop out of school too while I'm at it?"

"Why not? You hate school."

"No, I hated School. I like it now, I'm going to college next year."

His eyebrows shot up. "You are? Where?"

"Wherever I'm accepted. I can get a cheerleader scholarship to a school near my old home town. They've been scouting me since my first sophomore year."

"You'd really go to school back in California?"

"My life isn't over because I've learned of the supernatural in Mystic Falls." She snapped, "if I have the chance to get out of this place, why not do it before I die, permanently?"

"I wouldn't let that happen." He scowled. "I'll protect you."

She cocked her head to the side, staring at him as though she was trying to figure him out. "What if I do go to California? Would you go with me?"

"With all this shit hitting the fan?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's still early in the year Damon." She reminded him. "If we succeed in getting rid of Klaus, and are free to continue on with our lives without death hanging over our heads, would you follow me to California? Is there anything or anyone else keeping you here?"

He knew what she was hedging at. She wanted to know if Elena would keep him here, if it came down to it, would Elena wanting him to stay be enough to stay and perhaps, before Kenzie had appeared, he would have done anything Elena wanted but his infatuation with the brunette had to do with her resemblance to Katherine and how in love he had been with her. He still had no idea what happened to him when he had been bitten by the werewolf but he did know now, no matter how much of a bitch she was, Kenzie was who really mattered to him.

"If you wanted me to." He replied. "And probably even if you didn't want me to."

Her expression only grew more puzzled. "I can't figure you out." She softly said.

"Then maybe you should stop trying to." Damon stood up and slowly moved towards her.

Kenzie only shook her head. "I'm not the same girl you fell in love with."

"I know." He replied with a smirk.

She looked away "I really don't think you do know. Damon, I-" She stopped, giving her head a small shake. She knew she was about to tell him just how different she was now but something stopped her. She just couldn't get the words out.

"I'll take you anyway you are." He told her, a completely serious look on her face.

It gave Kenzie pause, as she was struck with the feeling that he knew all too much. But if he knew, why didn't he say so, Damon was the type of guy to just call her on something.

"Should we go meet your brother?" She asked, stepping away from him.

Damon sighed, seeing her wall was back up again. "Yes, let's go."

… … …

"You didn't say anything to Elena about the coffins, did you?" Stefan asked as they walked towards the Witch's house.

"No, I said I wouldn't." Damon replied, sounding insulted.

"I know what you said." He shot back with a smirk.

"Why are you asking?"

"Because protecting the location of Klaus's family is my number one priority right now. And the fewer people who know, the better."

Damon's eyebrow lifted as he shot a glance at Kenzie, who was walking in between the two brothers. Stefan caught his look and shrugged.

"Kenzie can lie better than anyone I know I'm not worried about her. Even if Klaus captured her I'm not worried."

"Your faith in her is amazing." Damon dryly said.

"Can you not talk about me like I'm not standing here listening to you?" She sounded annoyed but it was soon forgotten when all three of them stopped at once, hearing something from inside. Kenzie knew Bonnie was there but she also knew someone else was in there with her.

"I'll go check on Bonnie." Damon mouthed to them before disappearing inside.

"Stay here." Stefan told her before disappearing around the side of the house to enter through the back.

Kenzie turned to face the forest, feeling someone behind her but playing dumb. As that someone neared her, she turned around, her eyes widening in fear as she came face to face with a hybrid. He vamped out just as Stefan exited the house and distracted the hybrid. When he turned around to deal with the vampire, Kenzie punched him through the back, enjoying the ripping of muscles and cracking of bones as they splintered and her hand found his heart. She grabbed it and yanked it out, watching him fall to the ground with a self -satisfied smirk on her face. She quickly tossed the heart to Stefan before leaning down and using the dead hybrid's jacket to wipe off the blood that was on her.

"Really?" Stefan asked as he moved to stand beside her, the heart still in his hand.

She only shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back as Damon exited the house followed closely by Bonnie.

"Did he touch you?" Damon asked.

She shook her head. "Nope."

The younger Salvatore dropped the heart in his hands. "That's one less hybrid to deal with." He noted.

"I think it's time for me to go to school." Kenzie said, looking serene as can be.

"I'll catch a ride with you guys if that's okay." Bonnie said, staring down at the hybrid.

"I got the last hybrid, you kill, you bury." Damon told his brother. "I'll take the girls to school."

Stefan shot Kenzie a glare but she only grinned, telling him to have fun before moving off to Damon's car. She was all too thrilled to kill a hybrid. She didn't have an issue with killing them off. She got into the back of Damon's car, not wanting to be up front where Bonnie could easily touch her and find out what she was.

"We're supposed to be decorating Caroline's locker today." Bonnie told her. "It's her eighteenth birthday."

Kenzie pursed her lips. "Except she's stuck being seventeen forever."

"Yeah." Bonnie whispered, sending Damon a glare.

"Don't look at me like that." Damon snapped. "I saved her with my blood, it was Katherine that killed her."

"Does Caroline even want to celebrate what should have been her birthday?" Kenzie asked.

"Why wouldn't she?" Bonnie asked.

Kenzie let out a small sigh as she turned to look out the window. "I don't know, I guess if I was stuck at seventeen forever, I wouldn't want to celebrate my birthday."

"Well good thing you're eighteen." Damon said with a snort.

"Nineteen." Bonnie replied. "Kenzie told me the night of homecoming she had her birthday already."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Damon curiously asked, turning around to look at her.

"I quit celebrating my birthday when Mads died." She replied, not looking away from the window.

When they arrived at school, Kenzie waved at Damon, telling him she would see him later. He looked a little put out that she didn't seem more into saying goodbye to him but Kenzie didn't care.

"I'll see you later." She told Bonnie as they spied Elena, who was decorating Caroline's locker. She wasn't in the mood to celebrate a birthday.

Kenzie got through her classes by pasting on a big smile, and pumping up the student body for the game.

The game came, there was no Rebekah and no Caroline and she heard some of the squad talking about how Kenzie, as captain should penalize them. Kenzie, in no mood to be trifled with shut them down quickly, threatening to send those two catty girls to the bottom of the pyramid. This wasn't an important game, so she wasn't going to get herself in a tizzy over it and she didn't need petty little bitches trying to tell her how to run the squad.

"I'm beginning to think that naming you as captain might have been a mistake." One of them, Tori. sneered.

"Shouldn't we be well on our way to Nationals?" Her friend, Jade asked.

Kenzie turned towards them as she narrowed her eyes. "You want to repeat that, blondie?"

"If you're so great, why aren't we champions yet?"

"Because, you nimrod, Regionals have to happen first, then state, and then nationals."

"Then why aren't we there?" the first one asked in a snooty tone.

"Because we can't go to Regionals until they invite us and give us a day and time."

"Great, so you screwed that up?" Jade asked.

Kenzie contemplated taking a bite out of each of them, she really didn't want girls like these on the team. There was room for only two bitches on this team and those spots already belonged to Kenzie and Rebekah.

"You two are on the bottom of the pyramid, congrats, bitches."

"So you did screw us, huh?" Tori said. "Knew it."

"I changed my mind, you're not on the bottom of the pyramid anymore, you're benched. As for Regionals, it's exactly in one month and I know which routine we'll use."

"You can't bench us."

"Too late." Kenzie sang, calling the remaining girls into formation.

Yes, she was top bitch. Sometimes people just needed to be reminded.

… … …

Kenzie had just gotten home and changed out of her uniform, when her phone rang and she answered it after seeing it was Stefan.

"Kill any hybrids lately?" She asked by way of greeting.

"No, your stupid boyfriend stopped that."

"What are you talking about?" Kenzie asked.

"I need you to distract him."

"Distract who? Damon?"

"Yes." Stefan replied.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want him ruining this plan."

"Stefan, stop this car." Elena yelled in the background.

"Oh for the love of- what the fuck are you doing Stefan? Where are you?"

"On my way to Wickery Bridge. What's going to happen if Klaus can't make Hybrids anymore?"

"What?" Elena shrieked right before the call disconnected.

Kenzie was already out the door, running at full speed towards the bridge, wondering if he had well and truly lost it. From the sounds of it, he was willing to kill Elena but what would that do to him in the long run?

She reached the bridge and could hear a car in the distant. She tied up her hair in a bun, ready to be Jill again when she sensed a presence to her left.

"Mackenzie?"

The redhead looked over there to see Jill, the real Jill staring at her in confusion.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Stopping Stefan from making the biggest mistake of his life… um, unlife? Can you just, stay there and don't come out, I'll explain it all after."

"What can you do?" Jill asked, clearly confused. "You're nothing more than a human child."

"Stefan will stop when he sees me." She replied "but I don't want Elena questioning how fast I got here."

"How did you get here?"

"I ran." Kenzie simply replied as the car came around the corner, Kenzie stepping into the middle of the bridge. She could hear Elena screeching at Stefan about her being there and the older vampire was on the phone.

Stefan slammed on his brakes, stopping the car only inches from her before Elena jumped out, yelling and screaming at Stefan. Kenzie stayed quiet, watching them fight before Stefan got back in the car and took off, leaving them there. When he was gone, Elena turned to her.

"Kenzie, what are you doing here? Did Jill bring you?"

The redhead was about to reply that she was Jill when said vampire appeared beside her, making her scowl.

"No, I was out for a run, a very long run when Stefan called me. Are you okay?"

"No." Elena replied, looking ready to cry. "Do you think you could call Damon for a ride or something. I don't want to walk back to town."

Kenzie nodded, calling Damon who promised to be there as soon as possible before the three started the walk back towards town.

"Elena." Kenzie hesitantly started, "I'm- I'm really sorry about Stefan and him being a complete dick."

"Thanks." The brunette quietly replied. "I- I don't know what to do anymore." She sighed. "Why didn't you come with us tonight?"

"Come where?"

"Caroline's party slash funeral."

The redhead responded with a raised eyebrow. "I was at the game, cheering."

"We didn't go until after, I thought Matt would have told you, I mean, he was at the game."

Kenzie shook her head. "Nope, I did the whole after game victory party and then headed home, then went for a run."

Elena nodded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you. And Jill, I've been hoping to see you again…"

"Again?" The elder redhead faintly asked.

"Yes. I mean you were there to help Caroline when her Dad went all psycho, plus in the school, when you fought Stefan and tried to give me time to run away."

Jill was about to ask what the doppelganger was talking about when a look from her ancestor had her pausing. Something definitely was going on here, considering she had just arrived back in town that night.

"You're welcome." She replied instead, shooting a look back at Kenzie, promising they would be talking later.

A car pulled up beside them and everyone got in, the two Miller's getting into the back.

"What was this? A family effort?" Damon asked.

"Something like that." Kenzie replied. "Can you drop Jill and I off first?"

Damon nodded, pulling up to their house before the two redheads hopped out. "I'll see you soon." Damon told them before pulling away.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on now?" Jill asked.

"Where's Jack?"

"I do not know. He left town looking for you, near the end of summer when you still had not returned. He has not come back. I just got back into town after trying to track him down."

Kenzie friend at this. While she still was a little wary of Jill, she liked Jack, he had helped them and she didn't like that he was missing.

"Do you want to stay here?"

Jill looked genuinely surprised by the offer but nodded, nonetheless. "Your Father, what do we tell him?"

"Yeah, he's not going to care."

"And this has to do with how people think I was here, saving them?"

"Very. I really don't have much time until Damon shows up, demanding answers. I died at the beginning of summer with Damon's blood in my system and it wasn't supernatural so I became a vampire. No one here but Stefan knows and it needs to stay that way."

"But why?"

"At first, because I spent the summer with Katherine, then when I came back, people just, didn't worry about me as a threat so it made it easier to move around, pretend I was you if I had to. During that fight Elena was talking about it was Stefan and I. He realized after that it was me and not you. It's long, and confusing, I'll tell you the rest another time. You can stay here as long as you want, there is a fridge downstairs full of blood and I'll help you find Jack, okay?"

Jill looked at her hard before finally nodding. "I accept and your secret is safe with me."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. My dad is compelled to be okay with everything vampy. I did that before putting him back on vervain and I'll tell him your being here is fine."

Jill nodded again as Kenzie let her inside and set her up in the guest room, warning her that Damon would more than likely be stopping by so not to worry. Just before she left, Kenzie turned to her ancestor.

"Thank you, seriously."

Jill looked up at her hesitantly. "I owe you one. I did not help you when you asked, Klaus scares me too much. But you have saved my life before and for that I owe you. A part of me is actually relieved that you have been turned. I need not worry so much about your safety now."

"That makes one of us." Kenzie muttered. "We'll talk more tomorrow. Good night Jill."

She closed the door and went to the kitchen, leaving a note for her Dad that Cousin Jill was in town and to not worry about it. Then she went up to her room, walking into her closet to change before coming out and seeing Damon on the bed.

"You're not alone." He stated.

"Nope. Cousin Jill has popped by for a visit." She sat at her desk, pulling out some homework.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"Homework." She replied with a small smile.

"Getting ready for your California College?"

Kenzie made a noncommittal noise as she quickly went through her math homework. Damon stood up and moved towards the desk, pulling the book away from her and turning her to face him.

"I don't want you going to California."

"That's not your decision Damon."

"I know, but I don't want you going. It's too far away."

She sighed, pulling a piece of hair forward as she nervously twirled it between her fingers. "Maybe it's the perfect distance. I didn't want any part of this, Damon. I just wanted to go to school, cheerlead, have a cute jock boyfriend and be the most popular, bitchiest girl in the school."

"But you are a part of it. Can you really walk away from all this? From us? From me?" He asked, his blue eyes gazing into her green ones as he grabbed her hands.

"There is no us." She harshly replied, yanking her hands away. "What don't you get about that?"

"Stop punishing me." He snapped.

"Punishing you?" She cried, standing up and turning away from him. "You broke my heart, Damon. It took me all summer to get over you and just because I use you once in a while for a fun romp between the sheets, doesn't mean, I'm ready to start all this over again. I can't do it again."

He looked ready to argue some more when he stopped and took a deep breath, actually reigning his temper in.

"Yeah, you can. You'll see that too. I have the time to make you see it, Red and I'm pretty sure you have the time too, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked an icy fist gripping her heart. What did Damon know and why was he hiding it from her. He wasn't the type to do that. And if he did know, who told him?

"How did you get to Wickery bridge so fast?" He asked.

"I was out for a long run when your stupid brother called me asking me to distract you, he mentioned something about a bridge and I wasn't very far from it then Jill showed up."

"Sometimes I forget how alike you guys look."

"So?"

Damon shrugged with a small smirk, "Just pointing that out. I wonder if you guys could pass for each other if you really wanted to. Night, Red."

He was gone before she could respond and Kenzie was left with an unsettling feeling.

… … …