Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This was fun one to do and it didn't need much amending! I've started looking ahead at future seasons. I have up until the end of season 5 planned out. And I've hit the pickle of what to do with Elena. Do I still compel her in season 6 but change Damon to Alexa? Does she still go into her magical coma at the end of season 6? Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

XXX

I stared at Logan as my exhaustion left me. The dick had the nerve to dump my aunt through an email and now here he is. Standing on our doorstep all nonchalant. I narrowed my eyes at him and let out a low growl. He was lucky that my aunt was around otherwise he would be in for the ass-whooping of a century.

Logan must have heard me. He looked at me and his smirk deepened. Aunt Jenna noticed and turned around to face me. She looked mad and frustrated.

"Alexa, go up stairs," she said, her tone discouraging any arguments that could have happened. I nodded sharply, glared at Logan, turned and went upstairs. I stopped at the top and leaned against the banister. Normally, I would go and sit with Elena, but she was still with Bonnie and Caroline and I didn't want to go anywhere near that minefield. Oh no no no. All that angst and crying. It was enough to drive someone crazy. And I had enough craziness in my life without that.

I wanted so bad to go help Jenna with her Logan problem. But I knew that she wanted to protect us from all of that. She had a good heart, my Aunt Jenna. She always wanted to protect us from anything bad. Especially if that bad was an ex-boyfriend who was lucky to not be throttled for turning up uninvited on a doorstep.

I couldn't hear what Aunt Jenna and Logan were saying, but I definitely heard the door slam shut. Well, that was quick. Sighing, I walked down the stairs and rested against the banister at the bottom, watching my aunt. She didn't look too happy and I don't like it when people upset my aunt. I love my aunt. She was far too sweet and lovely to allow anyone to upset her.

"Want me to go and beat the crap outta him?" I asked casually, hoping she would say yes. Aunt Jenna jumped slightly and spun around.

"I thought I told you to go upstairs," she remarked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

I smirked at her, "You said go upstairs. You never said anything about staying up there."

Aunt Jenna shook her head, a small smile on her face. Result.

"You're terrible," she sighed teasingly. I am, aren't I? Oh, I love it.

"I know," I grinned happily, pleased to have put a smile on her face. "But seriously, do you want me to kick his ass? Cause I will. Happily. With a lot of pleasure."

Aunt Jenna thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Don't bother with him. He's not worth it."

Why does no one let me beat up their boyfriends/ex-boyfriends? Honestly, if they let me then maybe their dating life would improve. People wouldn't mess with them if they knew someone would beat the shit out of them if they did.

I was disappointed but shrugged and accepted my aunt's choice, "Your choice." Wanting to cheer her up even more, I opened my arms and pouted, "Huggle."

Aunt Jenna smiled and walked forward. I buried my face in her hair. Aunt Jenna's hugs were seriously magical. She just had that soothing presence which made you believe that everything would be okay. And her hugs just amplified that feeling. I was reluctant to let go, but my tiredness was returning.

Jenna must have sensed it as she pulled back and smiled, "Go on, sleep."

I put up a token protest before sighing, "Fine. Sweet dreams, Aunt Jenna, see you tomorrow."

"Night Alexa," Aunt Jenna smiled softly, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I gave her a smile and walked upstairs. I went to my bedroom door but hesitated. I didn't really want to be alone right now. So, I turned around wand walked into my brother's room, not bothering to knock as I did so.

Jeremy looked up from where he was sitting on his bed in surprise as I waltzed in and slumped down on his bed, placing my head in his lap. He was reading one of the old family journals that he had dug out for his extra credit essay for Mr Saltzman. I grabbed it out of his hands and had a quick flick through. Wrinkling my nose at it, I chucked it onto his bedside table. There, now he attention would be completely on me.

"Hey Jer," I smiled up at him once I was satisfied.. He looked at me suspiciously at me for a moment before glancing at the journal and shaking his head. Why does everyone always suspect that I am up to something when I do that?

"Hey," Jeremy smiled back, regaining his composure. "Alexa, what are you doing?"

"Well, we haven't exactly seen each other much, and I wanted to spend some time with my big little brother," I replied, smiling up at him innocently.

Jeremy rolled his eyes dramatically, the cheeky kid.

"So in Alexa talk that translates to: I'm bored and I wanted to annoy someone, and as Elena is involved in a sobfest, Jeremy is that person," he snarked.

I gasped in mock horror and pressed a hand to my heart.

"Thou doth wound me, dear brother!" I cried dramatically. I could feel my darling baby bro shaking with laughter. I grinned happily and closed my eyes in contentment. Ever since this whole vampire business started I hadn't been able to spend much time with my darling Jeremy. Hell, since mom and dad died I haven't been able to do this with him. So many things changed. His drugs problem and my alcohol issue had sent us off in different directions and we were never both at home to spend time together. I opened my eyes and looked up at Jeremy.

"How are you doing with everything?" I asked the kid as I got comfy. While I had been keeping tabs on him, I hadn't been able to properly talk to him.

"Do you mean finding out about vampires or about Vicki's death?" my brother replied dryly as he adjusted his position.

I winced, not wanting to be the one to bring up Vicki. But at least he was able to say her name without crying now. That was a big step.

"Well, both really."

Jer sighed, "The whole vampire thing is just weird. But I've been reading Jonathan Gilbert's journals and he keeps rambling about demons and monsters. Now that I think about it, he probably means vampires. So I'm taking it a lot better than he was. As for Vicki," my brother shrugged his shoulders, "It's still hard."

"Do you ever wish that you didn't remember what happened to her?" I asked, unable to keep my curiosity in check. "That you didn't know that vampires existed and thought that Vicki had just left town like her mom does?"

"Sometimes," Jeremy admitted, glancing away. "But I'm glad that I remember. Knowing the truth about what happened to Vicki, I feel like I can actually move on."

I was relieved. Sometimes I did wonder if I made the right choice in refusing the let Elena compel Jeremy. It sometimes felt like I was just hurting him more. But it was safer for him to remember. And, the more selfish part of me wanted to make sure that he didn't blame me for Vicki's death.

"I'm glad, kiddo," I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "And if you ever need to talk, I will always be here for you."

"I know you will, Lexa," Jer smiled softly before it turned cheeky. "I can never get rid of you."

I sniffed, "Damn straight."

We were silent for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I had missed this. Despite the fact that he was my younger brother and drove me absolutely mental at times, I enjoyed just spending time with his like this. Before, he used to sketch while I did my school work. Or, more likely, engaged in text battles with my friends.

"Draw for me Jer," I sighed, glancing out the window. Jeremy glanced down at me in shock. "I miss watching you draw. You were so peaceful and calm and sweet." I looked up at him, my green eyes looking deep into his brown ones. "And you always got me a good grade in art."

At that, he let out a snort of laughter. He looked over at the bottom drawer of his desk. I moved my head and he got up. I watched carefully as he opened the draw and got out his drawing kit. He sat back down on the bed and I rolled onto my stomach and watched as he flicked through his previous drawings, smiling at the odd one. I had always loved watching Jeremy drawing. He looked so content and happy whenever he did so. Jeremy picked up one of his pencils, turned to a clean page and started sketching. I smiled and rested my head on my arms. Slowly, but surely, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

XXX

Jeremy's POV

I glanced over to see Alexa sleeping. She looked so peaceful. Nothing at all like the sarcastic smartass she pretends to be while awake. She had those all walls around her heart and she didn't let people in like she used to. Not since mom and dad died. She always tried to pretend that she was fine, but it was clear that she wasn't. To those who knew, it was even more clear. Her drinking had gotten out of control and it worried me. But I couldn't say anything, not when she had my back. Alexa understood. She understood that I just needed to get loose. Drinking was her thing and I turned to drugs. But I wasn't out of control, I knew when to stop and what not to take. Alexa helped with that too. I knew that if I needed to talk, about anything, she would be there. And now I am doing so much better. It was my turn to help my sister.

I knew that she worried that I blamed her for Vicki's death. Stefan staked Vicki while she was biting her. But it wasn't her fault at all. Vicki was out of control. She would have killed me and my sisters. And Alexa was only in that position because she had thrown herself between Vicki and Elena. Which was something my stubborn sister did far too often.

I sighed and turned my attention back to my sketch. Portraits of real people weren't really my thing, but I think that I've made a good start. Alexa was a complex person in real life, let alone in drawing.

"Stop it, Mr Wiggles, I don't wany any more jelly," Alexa mumbled in her sleep, scrunching up her face as she turned her head slightly. I smirked at her. She didn't know that she talked in her sleep and it was the easiest way to find things out from her. Especially since she wasn't much of a journaler.

It was how I knew about her growing friendship with Damon. Elena had told me about how Damon had kept Alexa hostage for a day, the day that they found out the truth about vampires. But even then, despite her fear, despite Damon killing her sort-of friends down at the graveyard, Alexa still liked him. She was far too loyal like that. The odd thing was, Damon had earnt her loyalty so quickly. He must have done something special to have done so. It probably helped that Alexa had a huge crush on him. Not that she would ever pursue it. It was just like her crush on Luke. She would pine and pine and allow herself to get 'friendzoned' and that was it. One day, she would be selfish and actually admit her feelings. I might even have to get Jenna to giver her a prod. She wouldn't listen to me or Elena, but to Jenna, she would.

I looked down at the nearly finished sketch. I swore to myself that it would be finished for the morning. A little something to brighten up Alexa's day.

XXX

Alexa's POV

I woke up the next morning to find myself still on Jeremy's bed. I blinked sleepily and looked around. Jeremy was sleeping with his head resting on my stomach. He looked so peaceful that I was loathed to wake him. But we had school today, yawn, and he had to wake up. So I gently lifted his head and placed it on the bed. He could sleep in a little bit longer. I dragged myself out of his bed and stood up. I looked down at what I was wearing which was, oh yay, it was the same clothes as yesterday. From the forest. How urgh. I don't know why I didn't get changed into my PJs before I came to hang out with my brother. But I was definitely regretting it now. Sleeping in a bra was the absolute worst.

I went and showered, enjoying the hot water. After yesterday, a hot shower was definitely needed. I made myself presentable before going back into my brother's room. He was still fast asleep and while a part of me felt guilty for waking him, a different part of me rejoiced at the opportunity. I think I needed last night as I was able to feel a lot more like I used to. Which meant annoying my little brother.

Slowly, I positioned my hands on his sides and allowed myself to smirk. Then, as quick as I could, I started tickling him.

Jeremy shrieked like a little girl and shot upright. I laughed at his reaction, unable to stop when he glared at me. Jeremy had always been very ticklish and it was something that I just loved to exploit. The kid rolled his eyes when I didn't stop laughing.

"Real mature, Alexa," he snarked. Oh how I had missed doing this.

I stood up and bowed dramatically, "Thank you. Thank you."

Jer rolled his eyes again and pointed to the door.

"Out," he ordered when I didn't take the hint. Still laughing, I gave him a nod and left. Behind me, I could hear the kid grumbling but even without looking, I knew he was smiling. I think we both needed it.

I stood in the hallway and looked at the door to Elena's room. Then, before I could convince myself not to, I opened the door and walked in.

Elena was the only person in the room. I'm guessing the other two had gone home during the night. Which surprised me, I would have thought that they would have used the opportunity to have a sleepover. I think they all needed it.

My sister looked up at me; her red-rimmed brown eyes stared into my own green eyes. By the looks of it, the poor darling hadn't had a wink of sleep.

"Oh my dear twin," I sighed as I rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug. Inside, I was cursing Stefan. I may have liked the guy, but he hurt my twin, which was unforgivable. Unless Elena managed to persuade me otherwise. But even then, I was unlikely to forgive such a transgression. Which was a shame as I did really like Stefan. But he had never made her cry like this before. A small part of me acknowledged that the situation probably didn't help, but even so, Stefan was still partly responsible.

"You want me to go beat him up?" I offered for the second time in such a short amount of time. Please say yes, please say yes. I needed to do something to avenge my sister's heartbroken feelings.

"Alexa, he's a vampire, it wouldn't hurt him," Elena whispered as she rested her head on my shoulder. Yikes, her voice sounded wrecked. I needed to get this girl a drink.

"Huh," I thought for a moment. "I kinda forgot about that. Well, it's the thought that counts."

I puffed up my chest in a proud way, which made Elena laugh. Haha! Mission: Make Elena Laugh, accomplished. No one could do it quite like me.

"You feeling better twin?" I asked, moving back slightly so that I could look her in the face.

"Yeah, I am," Elena smiled softly and gave me a squeeze.

"The Magic Alexa Touch," I stated proudly, stroking my twin's hair. "I need to get that trademarked."

I could become rich. Hmmm, it was a possibility. I was always cheering people up, so why not make money out of it?

… That sounds really bad, doesn't it? I didn't mean it like that! I swear!

And now that I think about it, it sounds kind of dirty too. Which was also something I didn't intend!

"Did Caroline tell you both her secret?" I asked as my sister went to go splash some water on her face.

"That she knew about vampires?" Ellie confirmed with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, she told us. I can't believe she knew this whole time."

"It's crazy, but, on the plus side, now there is someone else we can talk to about our vampire drama," I shrugged. Call me selfish, but I was kind of glad that someone knew. And that I wasn't the one who had to spill the secret. Especially with the way Caroline found out.

"I really didn't want to involve more people than necessary," my sister side, walking back to my side.

"I know, but at least it meant that she was safe when she was with Damon. She knew what he was and that meant that she could handle it," I paused. "Well, as much as one can handle a vampire like Damon."

Elena nodded in agreement before sighing, "I'm going to get ready. Wallowing won't help me at all."

"Awwww, you've finally listened to me! I have been saying that for years!" I wiped a fake tear away from my eye. "My sweet little Elena is finally listening to her wiser sister."

"Oh, get out of here," Elena laughed, swatting my arm. Sweet, I had managed to improve her mood as well. I was definitely on a roll this morning.

"See you downstairs," I smiled at her as I left her room.

I poked my head around Jeremy's door to see him reading from that journal again. Bit of an odd choice for early morning reading, especially since he had a bit more time for that essay. Well, whatever floats his boat.

"Seriously? It's like first thing in the morning," I rolled my eyes as I confiscated the journal.

"Alexa," Jeremy sighed, trying to grab it back. But I danced away, keeping just out of his reach, "I need it for my extra credit. If I can get it done quickly then I can work on more extra credit."

"But Jer," I pouted, finally giving in and handing the journal back. "It's boring. And you can't do schoolwork this early."

"Well, you would think that, Alexa," Jeremy laughed, the cheeky little brat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I exclaimed as I moved away to stand in front of him, hands on my hips.

"You really want an answer to that?" my adorable, (note the sarcasm), little brother smirked.

I gaped at his audacity before sticking out my tongue and storming from the room. I heard Jeremy laughing behind me. I think that he's been spending too much time around me…. But at least I had ensured that his good mood would last.

I was just about to go downstairs when my phone vibrated. I frowned. Who would be calling me at this time in the morning? It couldn't be about a ride to school as Elena had already agreed to take me in. And it wasn't like many people called these days anyways. It was normally texts.

"Hello?" I answered, not even bothering to check who it was. Which, I know, I probably should have done. But it was more fun this way. Would hopefully make it a pleasant surprise for the morning. Hopefully.

"Hey Alexa," Luke's voice replied and I nearly melted. I quickly glanced around before retreating to my room. The last thing I needed was for one of my annoying siblings to hear the conversation.

"Hey stranger," I laughed, sitting down on my window seat.

"I know, it has been awhile."

Aww how sweet, he felt guilty. But it had been far too long since we had a proper chat. I normally had to go through his sister to get news on him.

"That's one way of putting it," I snorted. "You put the I in MIA."

"Alexa, that doesn't make any sense!"

"Uh, yeah, it does. You just have to be intelligent to understand it."

"Oh, real cute. Bringing out the insults already?"

"Well, if I beat you, then maybe you will try calling me more innit."

I could hear the wince in Luke's voice, "Yeah, I probably earnt that one."

"Uh, ya think?"

"For what it counts, I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology. But I feel obligated to tell you that you owe me for making me have multiple girls' nights without the bantz that I used to get from you via text."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Good," I pretended to be serious for a moment before giggling. "So, what did you want, anyways?"

"I've been thinking… recently I have been thinking… well, I guess you could say that I have been looking at my life… no, that's not right…."

I had never heard Luke sound so unsure. He was always so confident and knew exactly what he wanted to say. But it made me think that this was something serious. And I had a little bit of hope that it might be something special…

"Spit it out, Lukey-Boy."

And he did.

"Do you want to go out with me?"

I froze. I could not believe what I was hearing. Luke was asking me out. Luke was. Asking. Me. Out. Say whaaaaaat?

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

Yikes, why did I sound so formal? Weirdo, Alexa, what a weirdo.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes! I would love to be your girlfriend!"

Oh wow Alexa, could you sound more desperate. Like for real. You could have at least tried to play hard to get. But noooooo, you just blurt it out!

"That's great! Oh Alexa, I'm so glad you said yes. I have been meaning to ask for ages, but, well, life interfered."

"I know that feeling."

"I was thinking that we could out for dinner? I'm busy the next couple of nights, but Wednesday?"

"Career Night? Yeah, sure, sounds good?" Alexa stop smiling. "Where and when?"

"The Grill?"

"Our local haunting ground," I laughed. "What time?"

"I'll meet you outside your house at 4? Bit early, I know, but I want as much time as I can before Career Night."

"You're a senior, shouldn't you already have some idea as to what you wanna do?"

"In theory? Yes. In reality? Nope."

"Fair enough, 4 works fine for me."

"4 it is."

"And we can go to the Careers Night together."

"Damn, I was hoping that you weren't being serious about attending. But I guess if I'm going with you, then I don't mind."

"You're a junior, aren't you supposed to be planning your future?"

"That's for boring people. I like seeing what comes my way."

Luke laughed, "Sounds about right. Look, I gotta go but I'll see you on Wednesday."

"See you on Wednesday."

I hung up the phone and couldn't stop myself from squealing loudly. Oh shit! I clapped my hands over my mouth but the damage was already done. Jenna opened my door and peered round with an expectant look on her face.

"Care to explain the noise?"

"Noise? What noise?" I aimed for nonchalant, but failed miserably.

Jenna raised an eyebrow and I sighed, unable to stop myself from smiling, "I may have just been asked out on a date."

Aunt Jenna's smile was truly lovely, "Oh my god, by who?"

"By Luke," damnit Alexa, stop grinning like a loon. No need to act crazy like.

"Aw Alexa, I'm so happy for you," my aunt swept me up in a quick hug. "When?"

"Wednesday, which gives me a couple of days to work out what the hell to wear and to calm down."

Jenna laughed, "Excited much?"

"Too much," I rolled my eyes but still couldn't stop smiling. "I've been waiting for this day for years; you'd have thought that I would have worked out a way to deal with it."

My darling aunt smirked, "No matter how long you have to prepare, you will never be able to deal with it."

"Thanks, Jenna, that is exactly what I wanted to hear," I gave her a look. "Not."

My aunt laughed but left me alone to my squeeing. I couldn't put into words how excited I was. This was Luke. The boy I had been crushing on for, like, forever. And now I was going on a date with him. I don't think I could be any more excited than I already am. Like I was so close to just doing a happy dance and squealing and oh. I was so happy!

XXX

The next two days passed quickly. But not quickly enough. Time did that funny thing where it felt like it was racing past and yet dragging. Which sucked as it meant that I didn't have enough time to prepare myself for my date. And I definitely needed to prepare myself. Despite having known Luke for most of my life, I was determined not to embarrass myself on this date. He knew the friend Alexa, I wanted him to see the Worth Dating Alexa. I wanted to be hot, not cold.

But it was safe to say that I had been incredibly distracted the past couple of days. I honestly could not tell you what had happened. Of course I had made the effort to help my twin through her traumatic time. Having relationship drama sucked. But it was hard considering I was on a high from my upcoming date. So I don't know how helpful I was. But I think she appreciated the thought.

On the morning of my date, I woke up early. Ridiculously early. But I was just so excited! I had already worked out my plan of action. Since we had school, I clearly didn't want to wear my nice clothes there. Which was handy as I hadn't actually decided on what to wear yet. I know, I know. I've had ages to pick what to wear. But I just couldn't decide! I wanted to look good but I also didn't want to look like a slut. It was hard finding that in between.

So I threw on a basic jeans and jumper, basically the first things that I found in my wardrobe. My makeup was simple but it meant that I just had to add a bit of wow factor to it later. Am I overthinking this? Cos it feels like I am.

I wandered downstairs to see Aunt Jenna in the kitchen, getting ready to go out.

"Hello Aunt Jenna," I smiled as I hugged her. Oh this was such a good day! This was going to be one of the best days of my life!

"Hello, Alexa," she replied as she returned the hug. "You are scarily happy this morning. I would have thought that you would be nervous."

"I know!" I exclaimed, giving her an extra squeeze. "And I haven't even had any coffee yet! Besides, the nerves will come later."

I started to make my way towards the magical coffee making place, but Aunt Jenna caught my arm and turned me around. Hey! Girl wants her coffee.

"I think that you should probably forgo the coffee, this morning," she said as she directed me into the hallway. I mean, she was probably right. I was buzzing enough as it was. But it was just a habit to have a shot of coffee in the morning.

She let go of my arm to put on her handbag.

"Do you have your school bag?" she asked me, glancing up from where she was digging through her own bag.

"Do I have to go to school today?" I whined, putting on my most pathetic pout. School would ruin my happy happy mood. Aunt Jenna just looked at me, not even bothering to answer.

"Fine!" I deepened my pouted, crossing my arms. Be that way. Meanie.

"Jeremy's got his sketchpad out," Elena told us as she came down the stairs. She was carrying a bag with her. I knew it wasn't hers as hers was down here. Wait, a minute that looks like…

"Here's your school bag, Alexa," she smiled, passing me the bag. I glared at her as I reluctantly took it from her. Evil twin. How dare she make me go to school! Why would she do that to me? Why Elena, why? She knew how important today was so why would she torture me like that?

Aunt Jenna looked pleasantly surprised about the fact that Jeremy was drawing again.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope but don't say word. The minute we encourage him, he'll put it away."

Well aren't you a budding young psychologist.

"Psychology major, check that!" Aunt Jenna laughed, agreeing with my sister.

"Can I just say? I was the one who encouraged him into drawing again," I remarked proudly, pulling on my coat and scarf. My twin and aunt looked at me, shocked.

I have to admit, I was a bit insulted at their surprise. I was actually useful. And that kid listened to me more than he listened to them.

"How?"

"I went into his room to bug him and ended up asking him to draw. So, to appease me, he started drawing," I explained. Huh, doesn't sound as good when I explain it like that. But it's essentially what happened.

"That sounds about right," Elena nodded. I pulled a face at her as she walked to her bag. Mean twin.

She looked at her phone and the sad face appeared. Uh oh, sad face is bad. And I had worked so hard to make sure that she didn't have sad face!

Aunt Jenna must have noticed because she asked, "Update on the Stefan situation?"

"He knows how I feel and where I stand and I know where he stands but it doesn't matter," Elena said as she got ready to go out. "He's leaving, moving away."

"And I totally hate him for that," I commented, ignoring my sister's roll of the eyes. How dare that stupid vampire upset my sister and make the sad face appear.

"Where's he going?" Aunt Jenna asked, she sounded quite shocked. Apparently, she was not being kept up to date on the latest information in the Stelena situation.

"I stopped asking questions. The answers get scary," my darling twin remarked. And that was so true. The answers were getting rather scary. I'm starting to consider not asking questions. But I was just too curious for my own good.

"Um, just a thought, do you know if Damon is leaving with him?" I asked, attempting to sound casual. I knew that I had failed when I saw Elena and Aunt Jenna exchange glances.

"As far as I am aware, he is," Elena replied, giving me a look.

Oh, that's a shame, I don't want Damon to go. I was getting over the whole vampire thing and he was my friend. I can't even begin to deny it. He was a friend, and yes, I did have a small crush on him. But I did enjoy having him around before I found out he was a vampire. And I was getting back to feeling like that.

"Huh, makes sense, I suppose," I shrugged, aiming for nonchalant. But I must have failed as my twin just gave me a knowing look. I ignored her as I opened the door and walked outside, the other two following.

"Well, yours leaves, mine returns," Auntie J grumbled. Oh yeah, Logan was back. I forgot about that. He hadn't showed up again since he appeared on our doorstep. Whatever it was that Jenna said, it must have had some sort of impact. And thank god for that! Jenna was far too good for him.

"Logan?" Elena exclaimed, giving me a look. She didn't sound happy.

"He's back," I told her, ignoring the grumpy look on her face. "And Aunt Jenna won't let me beat him up."

"I didn't let him past the door," Aunt Jenna assured us, ignoring my disappointed pout.

"Good, hope you slammed the door in his face," Elena rolled her eyes.

"It was only a medium slam," I interjected. "I would have slammed it harder."

"You would have just punched him in the face," Elena said to me before turning to Aunt Jenna. "Three cycles, Jenna."

"Yep, you're not even allowed to watch the news!" I chirped. Not that she would want to watch the news. Who would want to watch the news? I only watch the news when Elena or Aunt Jenna make me. Or when I can't be bother to get up and get the remote… that happens quite often, now that I think about it. I got all the news that I needed from my Facebook feed.

"Exactly," our aunt agreed. "No more Logan Scumfell."

"Hear, hear!" I cheered. I haven't felt this happy in ages. And I wasn't going to let anybody ruin it. This was going to be my day of happiness. I was finally going out on a date with the boy that I had been crushing on for years.

I was skipping along behind Aunt Jenna and Elena when my phone started vibrating. I wonder who it could be? Maybe it was Luke again! Good lord I needed to calm down. It was definitely a good idea that Jenna made me skip the coffee.

Elena paused when she heard the phone vibrate but I waved her on. I gestured to the car and she understood what I meant. Her and Aunt Jenna got in the car and drove off. I could either walk to school or just bunk... I choose option B. Of course I chose option B, it was me!

"Hello? Alexa Gilbert's phone, how may I help you on this fine, beautiful, wonderful morning?"

"Hello Alexa."

The dulcet tone of one Damon Salvatore returned my greeting.

Despite my happiness over Luke finally asking me out, I still had the funny feeling in my tummy proving that my crush on Damon was still going strong.

"Oh, Damon."

I hadn't spoken to him since that night Emily destroyed the crystal. When I stopped him from attacking Bonnie. I don't know how he felt about my stopping him. But he didn't sound mad or anything. And I was the one who supported him while he healed.

"How did you get my number?"

"I have my ways," was Damon's mysterious response. "I need you to do something for me."

Is it bad that I was pleased he came to me for help? Not his ex, Caroline. Not Elena. But me. I bit my lip and allowed myself to smile. Maybe we were properly friends again.

"What do you need me to do?"

I probably should have tried to fight it a bit more. But for Damon to ask me for help, I knew that it must be big. And besides, it meant that I could skip school for the morning. Well, for the day. Cos there was no way that I would want to go in if I missed the morning.

"Meet me at the Grill in about half an hour and I will let you know."

"I'll see you in a few," I replied, still smiling. He hung up and I carried on smiling. He had asked me for help. And I got to see him too. Today was shaping up to be a good day.

I slowly started walking in the direction of the grill. I knew that Elena would be expecting me at school but I really didn't want to go. Even if Damon hadn't given me an excuse to bunk, I probably would have anyway. Ever since mum and dad died, I really haven't wanted to go into school. I used to go in everyday. I might not have done the work or behaved myself, but I always went. Hard to believe, I know, but it's the truth. But ever since that day a lot of things have changed. Too much has changed.

I got to the grill 5 minutes before Damon said to meet him. I probably could have made the journey a bit quicker. But I had a lot on my mind. Well, I saw a lot. It was mainly Luke and Damon.

I sat down in one of the booths. I didn't feel like sitting at the bar with all the tempting alcohol. I would probably have to be sober for whatever it was that Damon wanted me to do for him. I placed my arms on the table, rested my head on them and closed my eyes. I concentrated on the feeling that I had when Luke asked me to go out with him. This will probably sound really corny, but it was such a magical feeling. It was like I was floating, no, that's taking it too far. It was a good feeling. I smiled softly to myself. In just a few short hours, we would be here, together. Enjoying our first date.

"What's made you so happy?"

The vampire's voice brought me down to Earth with a crash. I sighed and opened my eyes. I slowly sat up to see Damon sitting in front of me. I wanted to go back to my happy place.

"You said that you needed me to do something for you?" I asked, trying to deflect the question. And besides, I wanted this over and done with quickly so that I could go back to daydreaming about Luke. Even though I did want to spend as much time with Damon as I could. Ugh, what a conundrum.

"Well you're Little Miss Business this morning, aren't you?" Damon smirked as he crossed his arms. I just looked at him, trying to play it cool. Even though I got the feeling that I was failing miserably.

"Damon, stop playing games. I don't have all the time in the world. Especially today."

"Why not today?" Damon looked curious and I debated whether I should tell him.

"I've got a date," I said simply, smiling at the thought.

"Well, this is going to ruin the mood then," Damon looked around before leaning in. My heart skipped a beat at the proximity. "There is another vampire on the loose."

I froze. Another vampire? What the hell is it with this town and vampires? Ugh, Damon was right, that definitely ruined the mood.

"And what has this got to do with me?" I forced myself to ask. I was absolutely dreading the answer.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I need your help to find them."

I grinned, "The big tough Damon the Vampire Salvatore needs my help?"

Damon rolled his eyes and gave me a toothy smile, "I can always find someone else."

"Nope, you came to me for a reason," I was probably enjoying this a bit too much.

"You're the one most likely to say yes," he rolled his eyes and I laughed. "You had enough amusement out of this yet?"

"For now," I smiled with a shrug. "So how am I supposed to find this vampire? I'd have thought that you and Stefan would have had better luck."

"You find them with this," Damon pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It looked familiar and it took me a second to place it.

"That's the Old Gilbert watch," I frowned picking it up. "How did you get a hold of this?"

"That's not important," Damon brushed it off. I raised an eyebrow but allowed him to continue. "That watched doubles as a compass. One that you can use to find vampires." I must have looked unconvinced as he gestured to the watch. "Open it."

I continued to look doubtful but did was as I was asked and opened it. Well, it was no longer a watch, that was for sure. There was a compass in there instead of a clock face. And it was pointing straight at Damon.

"Are you feeling alright? Because you just told the truth."

"Ha ha Alexa," Damon deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "You're so funny."

"I'm glad that you think so." By the look on Damon's face, I realised that I should probably stop testing his patience. "So, you just need me to follow the compass until I find the vampire's location. Right?"

"And then you will phone me," Damon finished.

"Out of curiosity, why can't you do it?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "Because I interfere with the signal."

Oh right, how stupid of me to not know that.

"Fine, I'll find your stupid vampire," I groaned as I stood up, compass in hand. "Now scram."

XXX

It took me quite some time to track down the new vampire in town. I mean, it probably wouldn't have taken as long if I had just walked a bit quicker. But I was feeling a bit lazy and I didn't want to screw this up. Especially because I had never used a compass before. So I was trying to get my head around that too.

The compass eventually led me to the old warehouses on the edge of town. I hated those buildings; they had always creeped me out. I don't suppose it helped that me, Jazz, Luke and Tyler always used to sneak into them when we were little. They were one of our favourite places to tell ghost stories. Oh I miss those days.

Anyway, I stood outside the warehouse after doing a lap around it. This was the place that the naughty little vampire was hiding. I sighed and pulled out my phone. Time to phone Damon.

I scrolled through my most recent received calls and found Damon's number. I should really add that to my contacts... I'll do it later. Note to self – add Damon's number to contacts.

Damon answered almost immediately.

"Well?"

"I've found your vampire," I told him, trying to keep my voice low. Don't want the vampire I'm tracking to hear me.

"Where are you?"

I listed off the address before adding, "And can you hurry up? I have a date to prepare myself for."

"Am I inconveniencing you?"

The voice didn't come through the phone, it came from behind. I gasped and spun around.

Damon was standing right behind me, smirking at my reaction. I glared at him and hung up the phone. That was not cool, man. Could have given me a heart attack.

"Of course you aren't," I rolled my eyes. "But this place is creeping the bejesus out of me and I want to make sure that I have plenty of time to get ready for my date."

"Is that why you took so long to find it?"

"I don't take long on purpose," I protested, crossing my arms. "I'm a modern girl. Using a compass doesn't come naturally to me."

"Naturally," Damon rolled his eyes. "But yes, you can go now. I'll take it from here."

"Oh thank god," I sighed in relief, eager to get out of here. But before I moved, I paused. "You sure you're alright to handle it?"

Damon gave me a look and I protested, "Look, I know you're the big bad vampire and I probably couldn't do much to help. But I could find Stefan or even just make a distraction to give you the upper hand."

"I can handle this, Alexa," the vampire in front of me waved a hand. "Go get ready for your date."

I studied him. I could usually get a lot more out of Damon. But he was being unusually reserved today.

"Are you okay?" I asked and Damon frowned. "I know that Emily destroying the crystal meant that you couldn't get Katherine back. And I'm sorry that happened. But how are you dealing with it?"

Damon gave me a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, "I'm fine, Alexa. The thing about witches is that there is always a way around their spells. Loopholes, as such."

I wasn't convinced but it was clear that Damon wouldn't say anything further, "Okay, glad to hear it. I hope you find that loophole." I gave a soft smile. "And I hope you get Katherine back."

As much as I was crushing on Damon, I knew that he wouldn't look at me twice. He was in love with Katherine and he had been separated from her for so long. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Damon's smirk softened, "Thank you, Alexa."

I gave him a bright smile before finally taking my leave. I had done my bit to help and I really didn't want to spend any more time around the creepy warehouses than I needed to. Even if I was willing to help Damon sort out the vampire problem.

"Compass," the vampire reminded me before I could get too far.

"Oh yeah, my bad," I dodged back and placed in on his outstretched hand. My skin grazed his, sending tingles up and down my spine. Oh hello crush, you've been quiet.

I shook off the feeling and smiled up at Damon.

"Bye bye Damon, any time that you need my help again, don't hesitate to call."

"Get out of here."

I smirked and saluted before turning and walking away. I suppose that I should probably go back to school. I mean, didn't want to. Like at all. But if I left now, I would make it there in time for history. And it would keep Elena off my back. Ugh, how have I talked myself into going back to school?

XXX

I made it to school just before history started. As luck would have it, Alaric was walking down the corridor towards the classroom just as I reached the door.

"Just in time, Alexa," Ric smiled.

I laughed and gave a casual shrug, "That's sounds about right for me, sir."

I walked into the classroom and took my seat. Elena raised her eyebrow at me but didn't say anything. But she had the lecture face on, so I knew that I would be in for it after the lesson. Oh boy. She hasn't worn her lecture face for a while and I have to say, I haven't missed it. It was up there with the sad face in the list of bad faces. That was the only good thing about the drama in her relationship with Stefan, she didn't lecture me as much. Not that I listened to them anyway. But I knew that she liked to think that she was being a good big sister and looking out for me.

As it turned out to be a very interesting lesson. One that I was glad that I attended. And I actually learnt something for a change. You know what; I think that I might actually be able to properly pass history this year without help. Amazing, I know. In fact, I think it may actually qualify as a miracle.

Elena corned me after the lesson ended. She grabbed my arm and dragged me outside. Uh oh, I was in trouble. Tell Jeremy that I love him!

I was pushed down on the bench as Elena stood in front of me. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned down at me.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. I knew that I shouldn't tell her about the fact that I was doing something for Damon. I dread to think what her reaction would be. She disapproved of me and Damon being alone together. Actually, she just disapproved of Damon in general. Which was frustrating as she didn't see what I saw. But after he spent the day with me hostage, I think it will take a while for her to warm up to him.

"I was rather distracted this morning," I admitted, trying to think of a safe answer. I saw her glance down at her locket before looking at my face.

"Distracted by your date this afternoon?" Elena asked shrewdly. Ah sweet, worked out exactly how I wanted it to happen.

"I just can't stop thinking about it," I sighed and I just knew that I had a dopey look on my face. "Like what if he regrets asking me out? What if he regrets being friends with me? What if the date goes bad and it ruins our friendship? Oh lord, why have I been wanting this for so long? It's got disaster written all over it!"

"Alexa, breathe," my twin placed her hands on my shoulders and forced me to take calming breaths. "There is no way that he will regret asking you out. And the date won't go bad. You've been friends with years so you don't need to worry about the awkward part of finding stuff out about him." My sister's expression turned fierce. "And if he does regret it all, then he'll find out what happens if people upset my twin sister."

"Awww, Elena," I tried to brush it off but I was touched. "I love you too."

It was a relief that she approved of my date with Luke. I have to admit, if she didn't approve, then I probably would have reconsidered going out with him. Elena always knew what was best for me, better than I did. And I always knew what was best for her.

My sister smiled sweetly and sat down to give me a hug. One that I gladly reciprocated.

"I'm glad that you're happy, Alexa," Elena said softly, moving a piece of hair from my face. I grabbed her spare hand and smiled at her. She was such an amazing twin.

"Thanks Elena."

We sat there in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence.

"We should so totally go on a double date."

XXX

As 4 o'clock grew ever closer, my panic levels increased dramatically. I was routing through my wardrobe, looking for something suitable to wear. Clothes were scattered around the room from where I had thrown them over my shoulder. I wanted something that made me look pretty but didn't make me look like a slut. It also had to be suitable for that stupid Careers Evening thing.

It didn't take me long, but I eventually managed to empty my wardrobe of all the clothes inside of it. What do I wear? I didn't normally care what I wore but this was my first date with Luke! The boy that I had been crushing on for years.

"Need some help?"

I had never before been so pleased to hear my twin sister's voice.

"Oh yes please Elena!" I near enough shouted as I turned around to face her.

"I take it that you are struggling to find something to wear?" she asked as she walked into the room. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at all the clothes that were scattered across the floor. "You know, if you had organised your wardrobe when I and Aunt Jenna had asked you, you may not be experiencing this problem."

I glared at her. "Not helping Elena," I grounded out through gritted teeth.

"Sorry Alexa," she smiled as she hooked an arm around my waist. "Now, it will take far too long for me to sort through all of this to find something suitable."

"No, no, no, that's bad news Elena, I want good news," I complained as I rapidly shook my head.

"Don't worry twin, I have good news for you," my darling twin laughed as she directed me out of my room and into her own. She deposited me on the bed and went and opened her own, organised, wardrobe.

"Now, this was a gift from Bonnie and Caroline," she said as she rummaged in the wardrobe. "But I think that you are more likely to wear it than me."

The dress she pulled out was perfect. It was made of black lace. The bodice and skirt had a pale grey underdress attached to it. The sleeves were left as the lace and the dress went down to just above my knee.

"Thank you, Ellie," I smiled softly at her as I accepted the dress.

"Good luck tonight Alexa," she said, returning my smile.

I nodded at her as I made my way back into my room. I quickly changed into the dress, fixed my hair and did my makeup. Once I actually knew what I wanted to wear, it was plain sailing from there. And thank god for that! I had stressed enough as it was. I just needed to calm down.

The doorbell rang just as I was about to look in the mirror. So much for calming down!

"Alexa, Luke is here!" Aunt Jenna shouted up the stairs.

I took a deep breath and smoothed down my dress. I was so nervous. My hands were shaking and everything. After slipping on a pair of black pumps, I walked out of my room and head towards the stairs. I was about to walk down them when a black jacket appeared out of nowhere. I looked behind me to see Elena's door close. I shook my head and picked up the jacket. It was made of a soft fabric and looked like it would go with the dress. I slid it on and made my way downstairs.

Luke was standing at the door. He was dressed in a red dress shirt and black jeans. Huh, looks like we both went smart.

"Hello beautiful," he smirked when he saw me. He had always been such a flirt, glad to see that somethings never change.

I rolled my eyes at him and joined him at the front door.

"Hello yourself."

I turned around to see Elena hanging over the banister, Aunt Jenna poking her head around the kitchen door and Jeremy leaning against the wall. My darling little brother was glaring at my date. The kid was such an idiot. He had known Luke his whole life and now he decides to play the tough guy.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Bye guys, I'll see you at the careers evening."

"Bye Alexa!" "See you later, Alexa." "Have a good time twin!"

Luke offered me his arm and I accepted it. He walked me to his car and we got in. I watched him as he drove us to the Grill. I admired the way that the light reflected off his face. He was handsome man, I couldn't deny that

We soon arrived at the grill and we went inside. Luke directed me to a booth near the back and out of the way.

"Seriously, you do look beautiful," Luke said, his tone serious. For once.

I blushed and smiled, "Thank you, Luke."

"No problem, babe."

I raised an eyebrow, "Did you just call me babe?"

He was saved by the waitress. Which was lucky for him. Pulling out the babe card already. Cheeky.

"What can I get you two?"

"Pepperoni pizza," Luke replied. Aww, he remembered my love for pizza. And yeah, I know, they say don't have food you eat with your hands on a first date. But I had the advantage that I had known Luke for long enough that hand food was not an issue.

"To share," I added, just in case. And besides, the Grill could pump out some large pizzas if they needed to.

"With two cokes."

Damn, there goes my hope for a cheeky glass of wine.

"Coming right up," the waitress smiled. Hmm, I think I go to school with her. Anyway, not important.

"How ya been, Luke? I haven't seen you in a while," I remarked, trying to keep my tone light. But he knew what I meant. We had never gone this long without seeing each other in person. And phone calls weren't good enough.

Luke winced, "Sorry about that. It's just that we're having some problems in the family."

"I've heard that one several times. What problems?"

"The parents are being difficult."

"When aren't they?"

"Good point."

"All my points are good."

"Ego, Alexa, ego."

"What about it?"

"It's getting so big that soon you won't be able to fit through the door."

"Is that your way of telling me that I have a big head?"

"What? No!"

I laughed at the frantic expression on his face.

"That was mean, Alexa."

"That wasn't mean. That was justified."

"How was it justified?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you honestly don't remember all those times that you insulted me?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten."

"Good. This is my way of getting revenge for all of those times."

"And you pick our first date to get your revenge?"

I shrugged, "Perfect timing really. Because you can't do anything to retaliate otherwise my sister would have your heard."

Luke winced. He knew that was true. If he did do something to upset me, today of all days, my sister would rip him apart. And his own sister probably would too. She had been waiting for this day even longer than I had. And she would go postal if he ruined her chances of getting me married into the family.

Our food and drinks had arrived during our conversation and once I had deemed that I had teased Luke enough, we started eating. We talked as we ate. It was a good conversation. One exactly like we used to have but with a lot more flirting. And I mean a lot. But it was perfect. A dream come true... that was really corny, wasn't it? Whoops.

We spent around 2 hours at the grill. After we finished eating, we just sat there, talking. We were even holding hands across the table. It felt so perfect and yet, I couldn't help but feel as though there was something missing. Which was frustrating as I had been dreaming of this day for so long. And it should be perfect. So what the hell was missing?

"Do you want to head to school now? For that careers evening?" Luke asked as the conversation faded into silence.

"No, not really," I replied distractedly, I was too focused on the feel of Luke's warm hands resting in mine.

"Come on Alexa," he laughed as he pulled his hands back. I protested at the movement. "Let's get moving."

I just sat back and crossed my arms. I wasn't going to go to school when I didn't have to. I didn't go even when I did have to go. Luke sighed and got up. He moved around so that he was on my side of the booth and pulled me up by my arm.

"Why are you so eager to go that careers thing?"

He shrugged, "No reason."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, but didn't comment. If he wanted to keep a secret from me, then he could keep a secret from me.

Oh, who am I kidding? I would just put more effort into finding out later. And so I added it to the list of secrets that the Nolan family were keeping from me.

XXX

We got to school and were immediately accosted by Jazz.

"Hello, you two," she grinned manically as she tried to squeeze the life out of us. "How was the date? Did you have fun? Did you have sex?"

"What? Jazz? What the hell?" I exclaimed, I was absolutely mortified. And she knew that I didn't put out on the first date. Like honestly lady, just cos you want me to marry into your family doesn't mean that I would give up the goods so early.

Luke, however, just looked at her intently.

"You're drunk," he stated, his tone and expression flat. But to anyone who knew him, it was easy to tell that he was not happy.

"No, I'm not!" she denied fiercely as she swayed slightly. Oh, she was definitely drunk. Something was wrong with her. She wouldn't normally get this drunk while she was around people. The only time that she would is if there was something really bad going on.

"Alexa, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave," Luke said apologetically. "I can't leave her here like this."

"Luke, it's fine, I'm completely understand."

And I did. It would be best for her to be at home. Oh man, Jazz would be absolutely furious at herself for this. She had prevented any possible snuggling or snogging from happening. Definitely got to hold that over her!

"See you tomorrow?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around his swaying sister.

"See you tomorrow," I smiled at him. I leant forward and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "Now get your sister home."

Luke blushed and I had to fight a smile. I didn't go into tonight expecting to make the first move. But I also knew that I had waited far too long to kiss those lips. And besides, I loved how much he blushed from an innocent little kiss.

"Bye Alexa."

"Bye Luke."

I smiled softly as I watched them leave. He was a good brother and a good person. And I loved him. Oh shit, don't use the L word Alexa. Not yet anyways.

... Speaking of brothers, I wonder if my family were here yet. Now that my date had left me, I needed someone to annoy. And my darling siblings fit the bill perfectly.

I slowly made my way through the crowd. I didn't bother looking at all of the stands. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to go into cooking or baking. Maybe even own a bakery or a bar, like the Grill. Somewhere I could cook and be in charge. I would never be able to work for someone; I really didn't react well to authority figures. Unless I respected them. But having watched my dad control his own hours while growing up, it was something that I wanted for myself.

I have to admit, it hasn't always been my intention to use my hobby as a career. I used to want to be a kindergarten teacher. Or someone who worked with young children. I always used to babysit for the neighbours. But then my mum and dad died, and everything changed. I changed. As much as I would love to work with children, I was too bitter to be able to do that now. I was too aggressive, too jaded.

I spotted Jeremy through the crowd; Tyler was storming away from him. The Lockwood teenager didn't look particularly happy and I could just tell that Jeremy was the reason why. I sighed and was about to head over to him when a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Hello Alexa, fancy running into you."

Logan Fell. Oh yay. Just what I wanted. I turned to face the dick that hurt my Aunt Jenna. Right, time for some justice, Alexa style.

"Scumfell," I growled, placing my hands on my hips.

"Now, now, Alexa, that's not very nice," he mock-scolded me. That just made me even angrier.

"You dumped my aunt through an email. You near enough broke her heart! Why the hell would I be nice to you?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her."

"And yet, you did."

I was practically snarling at him by this point. I poked him in the chest with my finger.

"You're lucky that I haven't beaten you to a bloody pulp! The only reason that you are not unconscious and bleeding on the floor is my aunt. She asked me not to."

Logan smirked at me, "I doubt that you could have done that much damage to me."

"Oh yeah?" I hissed. "Why don't we go and disprove that theory?"

"Let's go outside then."

We were about to head outside so that I could beat up the Scumfell, but was stopped by a hand on my arm.

"Logan."

I glanced to my side to see my aunt glaring at the douche in front of me.

"Jenna," Logan aimed for a charming smile but he just looked even more annoying.

"You got lucky, Scumfell," I smirked, linking my arm with my aunts and pulling her away. "Next time, you won't."

I forced my aunt away from Logan before he could say anything else. He really got under my skin. Before, he was just annoying. I mean, yeah, I hated him for what he did to my aunt the first time round. But this time? Nah. He dumped her via email and then had the cheek to turn up begging to be forgiven?

"Alexa, I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to beat Logan up?" Jenna glanced at me with an eyebrow raised.

"But he challenged me," I put on my most pathetic pout. "He said that I would be able to beat him up."

"And you had to prove him wrong," my aunt shook her head, trying not to laugh.

"Duh doy," I shot her a winning smile. "That's exactly what I had to do."

"Oh Alexa," Jenna shook her head but I could see her smiling. "So how as your date?"

"It was lovely," I replied, smiling dreamily. "We went to the grill and had some pizza. Then we just sat there holding hands and talking. I know that we talked a lot before he asked me out, but, this was different."

I sighed happily and rested my head on my aunt's shoulder.

"I'm glad that you had a good time," Aunt Jenna said and I could hear the smile in her voice. "God knows that you deserve it."

"Oh Jenna, you're too kind," I pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you."

We walked around the school, looking at the various booths. Despite my moaning, it was interesting to see all of the different career options. The local community went all out to keep the students local and to employee them in local businesses. Even the Grill had a booth. And plus, they didn't skimp out on refreshments.

"So, what is it that you want to do now?" Aunt Jenna asked as we passed the Broadcast Journalism stand. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Caroline eying it up. Seems like someone has an interest in Broadcast Journalism.

"Something to do with cooking," I shrugged, waving hello to Matt. "Maybe own my own bakery or bar."

"You do love cooking," seems like Jena approved. "Although, if you did start your bakery, I would definitely end up pilling on the pounds!"

I laughed, "Jenna, you try not to eat what I make now! And you get that for free."

Jenna shot me a wry look, "Alexa, stop trying to make me fat."

"I'm not trying to make you fat," I could stop myself from laughing. "I'm just showing my love through baked treats."

"Show your love through healthy food."

I shrugged, "Eh, I'll consider it."

It was then that I spotted Elena in one of the classrooms. In order to save myself from further interrogation, I pointed at her and said, "Look Aunt Jenna, its Elena. You should probably warn her that Logan is on the loose."

Judging by the look on Aunt Jenna's face, she knew what I was trying to do, but she humoured me and went over to my twin. Oh yay, now she can interrogate Elena on her future. I knew that my sister was undecided as to what she should do. Mom wanted her to be a writer. But I can't see Elena carrying on with that now. Not now that mom was dead. But this would create a lot of questions for her. What she wanted from her relationship with Stefan.

I sighed in relief and walked in a different direction. I was safe... for now. Now, who can I annoy? I went looking for my baby brother. I knew that he was around here somewhere. While I was alone, I took the time to reflect on my date. It was everything I wanted it to be. And it felt comfortable. There was literally nothing for me to worry about. He didn't regret asking me out and there would definitely be a second date.

I was walking down one of the corridors when I saw Jeremy. He was facing off against Tyler Lockwood. God, what is it with these two boys and fighting with each other? I'm sure they never used to be this bad.

Tyler must have said something that pissed Jeremy off as his face contorted with anger and he lunged at Tyler, pushing him against the lockers. The two boys started struggling with each other, crashing against the lockers.

"Jeremy!" I growled as I raced forward. That boy was in so much trouble. Of all the places, he picked the middle of Careers Night. The little idiot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alaric and Mayor Lockwood do the same.

Alaric pulled my little brother off of Tyler and pulled him to the other side of the corridor. Mayor Lockwood held Tyler against the lockers while myself and Alaric did the same with Jeremy.

I stood in front of my little brother and pressed a hand against his chest. His heart was rapidly beating and there was a dangerous look in his eye. What the hell did Tyler say to him?

"Jeremy, calm down!" I whispered to him, trying to catch his eye. "Remember what Elena always says to me: murder is never an option."

Jeremy's gaze flickered down to meet mine before returning to glare at Tyler. These two seriously needed to get over their beef. It has to be more than Vicki but I couldn't tell you what. They never used to fight like this.

"You two follow me," the mayor ordered as he pulled his son away. Jeremy shrugged me off and stomped after them.

"Excuse me!" Alaric called over to them before I could. Mr Mayor turned around to look back at us. "Where're you taking them?"

"I'm going to talk to them," he replied, shrugging a shoulder. But his grip on his son looked tight. "All fights should end with a handshake, don't you think?"

He turned back around and followed the boys outside. Tyler kept glancing back at me before they disappeared out of sight. I don't think either of them expected the situation to escalate this much.

I glared after them.

"Well, I'm going with them," I growled, my hands on my hips. Something dodgy was going on here and I was not going to let my brother deal with it alone. Or Tyler, for that matter. His dad was a douche and I needed to make sure that I could stop Tyler from bearing the brunt of it for now.

"Oh really?" Alaric questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Really," I nodded sharply. "That's my baby brother and I'm going to go support him."

"Well then, let's get going."

I was glad that I had Ric's backing. While I had a loud voice, there wasn't much that I could to get in between them. Especially with the Mayor there. But with Mr Saltzman's support, I could make sure that the boys would be fine. And that was what I needed.

We followed the trio through to the school. When they went through the door that led to the staff car park behind the building, we swiftly followed. I had to tiptoe to make sure my heels didn't give me away. Honestly, the one time I wore heels and I found myself sneaking around.

"... So let's settle it. Fight!"

We caught the tail end of the Mayor's little speech to the boys. He wanted them to fight?! I was so gonna punch this guy! I don't care if the fucking Mayor! No one's gonna force my baby brother fight anyone! Except me. I'm the only one who is allowed to do that. Like what was he on? His own son as well.

"Come on, dad," Tyler sighed tiredly. He didn't sound surprised, which made me wonder how regular an occurrence this was.

"That's not gonna happen," Jeremy protested, glancing between father and son.

Alaric and I slowly walked towards them. Jeremy glanced over at us and caught my eye.

"Are you alright?" I mouthed. He nodded slightly. I unclenched my fingers in relief. I was so worried that something had happened to him before we made it out here.

Tyler went to leave. He walked past his father who angrily pushed him into Jeremy. Whoa, not cool dude. I frowned angrily and went to step forward but Mr Saltzman placed his hand on my shoulder, keeping me in place. I glanced up at him in confusion. He put a finger to his lips and gestured for me to wait a minute. I wasn't happy to let my brother remain in this situation any longer than he needed to, but I trusted Ric and so I waited.

"I said fight!" Mayor Lockwood shouted, sounding frustrated that neither of the boys looked inclined to start beating the crap out of each other.

"Whoa, what's going on here?"

Alaric revealed our presence to the mayor. I glared at him before rushing forward to my brother. I reached up and took his face in my hands. This time, he looked down at me without prompting. I looked deep into his eyes before pulling him into a hug. After a few seconds, I pulled back and looked over at Tyler.

"You alright, Tyler?" I asked him. The only answer that I got was a brief nod. I didn't know if that was because of the situation or because of the disruption to our friendship. But either way, I was just glad that he was okay.

Mayor Lockwood plastered a fake smile on his face and turned to face Ric. While I had rushed forward, Mr Saltzman had followed at a slower pace but he stood by us, ready to intervene if needed.

"I'm just letting these two kids work it out," Mayor Lockwood tried to brush it off but I could see that he was frustrated at the interruption. "We're good here. Go back inside. That means you as well, Ms Gilbert."

I snorted as Rick said, "I don't wanna go back inside."

Like hell I was gonna go inside while my baby brother was out here. And he should know that. Mayor Lockwood had known us our entire lives. Which meant that he would know that I wouldn't leave my brother alone out here to face a fight. Especially one that was being encouraged by a supposedly responsible adult.

"What I want is an answer for my question: what's going on out here?"

I had never seen Mr Saltzman look so serious. He was normally so easy going and friendly. But now, his face was stern and he had a no-nonsense tone.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" the mayor demanded with a touch of anger in his voice. "Do I look like a student?"

"No, you look like a full grown alpha male douchebag," Rick shot back, coming up to stand next to us.

My eyes tripled in size and my mouth hung open. Tyler's and Jeremy's copied my own. Did Alaric really just talk to the mayor like that? Oh wow, someone pinch me, I must be dreaming. No one spoke to the Mayor like that. Which is probably why he is as bad as he is. But my respect for Ric had just doubled, no, tripled.

"You don't talk to me like that!" Mayor Lockwood grounded out as he walked towards Ric. "I could have your job like this."

He clicked his fingers. Alaric just laughed. Oh dude, you are so badass!

"You do that. Then it will be you and me in this parking lot, working things out. You cool with that?"

"Just watch yourself," the Mayor growled. With that answer, we knew that he didn't want to fight Ric. Which was a bit cowardly of him. Here he was, encouraging the two kids to fight. But he didn't want to get involved in one himself.

"Ok," Ric smirked, clearly knowing that he was pushing buttons. Mr Mayor glared at him before turning to look at Tyler. He got the hint and walked away, his father swiftly following. My heart clenched as I watched him leave. It was times like this that I hated the fact that we weren't speaking. I knew his dad would give him shit for this later. And I wouldn't be there to support him. So I made a decision. Yes, I was still drinking. But I could moderate it. I wanted to be friends with Tyler again. And hot damn, I would be.

I pulled Jeremy closer to me as I watched Tyler leave. As much as I hated what would happen to Tyler because of this, it was kinda brilliant. I had never liked the Mayor although I had always tried to be respectful. But he was a complete dick and he treated Tyler so horribly. But as the Mayor, there was no one I could talk to. And I had no evidence either. Plus Tyler was too loyal to his father to admit there was an issue.

"You alright?" Alaric asked, looking at Jeremy once the Mayor was out of sight.

My adorable baby brother smiled and nodded. I think he was also starstruck by how badass our history teacher was.

"Thank you, sir," I smiled gratefully at Mr Saltzman. He was a good'un. It was nice to know that we had people willing to stand up to the Mayor and defend us kids as needed.

"You're welcome, Alexa," he smiled back, looking slightly embarrassed. "Now, let's get both of you back inside."

He gestured for us to go in and he followed behind us. I bugged my brother as we made our way back to the main area with all the booths. He kept insisting that he was alright but I knew what the kid was like. He didn't easily admit if he wasn't doing good.

"Goodbye Alexa, Jeremy," Ric said as we got back to busy area.

"Bye sir," I smiled, looking for my aunt or my sister through the crowd.

"Thank you," Jeremy added, giving a manly nod.

The amount of people who were inside had decreased dramatically. We made our way through the school until we found Aunt Jenna. She was looking incredibly pale and I immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"You alright, Jenna?" I asked as she kept glancing around. It was almost as though she was scared. And that definitely worried me.

Instead of answering, our aunt just grabbed our arms and pulled us into an empty classroom. She glanced around again, almost as though she was looking for someone.

I exchanged looks with my brother, "Jenna, you okay?"

She shook her head and started pacing, "You can't go near Logan. I'm serious, neither of you can go near Logan. I don't know what he is but you can't go near him. He's dangerous and he will hurt you."

Jeremy interrupted Jenna's ranting, "What did you see?"

She looked at us with wide eyes and I immediately knew what she had seen. But it couldn't be. Logan wasn't a vampire, was he? No one had mentioned that he had died. But he said that I wouldn't be able to hurt him. And he kept asking to be invited in. Oh my god, he was a vampire.

"His face," she shook her head. "His eyes and he had fangs. But I must have been seeing things."

Well shit. This wasn't how I wanted her to find out. I was hoping to be able to tell her in a nice calm environment. With Elena by my side. But life never works out how you expect it to.

"You weren't seeing things," I sighed before texting my sister, asking where the hell she was. "Oh crumbs how do I tell you this in a believable way."

I took Jenna's arm and sat her down. Jeremy joined me and I groaned. This really wasn't the right place to do this.

"Okay," I looked at Jeremy once last time, hoping he would take over. But as the older sibling, I knew that this was on me. "Vampires are real. And it appears that Logan is a vampire."

"But they can't exist," Jenna protested and I sighed.

"That's what I said when I found out," I stated dryly. "But they do. Those animal attacks a few months back? Mr Tanner? Vampires. There's some people in town who know about them, I'm guessing the Founder's Council." I hesitated before adding, "The Salvatore brothers are vampires."

I think I had stunned Jenna into silence.

"Jeremy, take over please," I shot my brother a desperate look. "I'm shit at this."

Jer rolled his eyes bit took over for me. My introduction to the vampire world wasn't the greatest and even if it was, I wasn't very good at these conversations. Which is why I wanted Elena to be here. But she was ignoring my message and I just knew that Stefan had something to do with it.

We managed to calm Jenna down enough that we could take her home. Jeremy had told her as much as he could remember from when he found out the truth. We updated her on everything we had learnt so far and begged her to help us keep the secret. All I had to do now was find a way to tell my sister that Aunt Jenna now knew the truth.

Jenna disappeared up to bed with an unopened bottle of wine. I knew that she would be bringing an empty bottle down in the morning. But I couldn't blame her. It was hard finding out that the supernatural existed. But she safer knowing. And I was relieved that I didn't need to keep lying to her now.

I wandered upstairs, leaving Jeremy downstairs on the Xbox. Playing helped calm him down and at least I knew where he was. Unlike my sister. She still hadn't answered my text and I had no idea where she was. Which worried me a lot. But what could I do?

I sighed and opened my door, only to jump and gasp.

Damon glanced up from where he was lying on my bed. He was looking at the pictures on my memory board with one of my teddies held to his chest.

"Oh."

I glanced behind me and quickly shut my door.

"Wasn't expecting to see you again tonight," I paused before adding with a raised eyebrow, "Especially in my bedroom."

Damon shrugged and placed my teddy to the side, "I'm just doing my public duty and letting you know that the rogue vampire has been taken down."

"Huh," I slumped down on my window seat. "So Logan is dead then? Like properly dead?"

Damon raised an eyebrow, "You knew it was Logan?"

"He revealed himself to Jenna at Career's Night," I sighed, kicking my pumps off. "At least he won't be a problem anymore."

"Jenna knows then?"

"Yup, not exactly how I wanted her to find out," I sighed before adding. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Just doing my duty," the vampire rolled his eyes.

"Naturally," I laughed. "Do you know where Elena is?"

"Last I heard, she was with Stefan."

I rolled my eyes, "That'll explain the last of response. If you see her, let her know that I want to speak to her?"

Damon jerked his head in response and took it as a yes. At least if he didn't, I would have grounds to berate him. Damon stood up and went to leave out the window but paused next to me.

"Logan mentioned that there were others trying to get into the tomb," he told me, looking out the window and refusing eye contact. "So be careful out there."

I realised that this was a Moment. He didn't need to tell me that. But he still did. And he wanted me to be careful. This was proof that we were friends. And that warmed my heart.

After Damon disappeared, I got myself ready for bed. Today didn't turn out quite like I expected it to. But I had proved one thing. Me and Damon were properly friends.

XXX

A/N: Jenna knows! I always thought that it was silly that she didn't find out for ages and then they killed her off almost straight after. Jenna was one of my favourites and they did her dirty. So I won't. Hope you enjoyed! And please review xoxo