Alexandria Gilbert

by JChavz95

Vampires, witches, werewolves and doppelgangers, oh my! All Alexa Gilbert wanted was a quiet life, a free drink and to party the night away with her friends without being nagged by her twin sister Elena, but the arrival of the mysterious Salvatore brothers may just ruin those plans... Starts Season 1, Episode 1, Slowburn Damon/OC, Now on Season 4!

28. Plan B

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, my evil side definitely came out to play towards the end of it ;) I tried to make Alexa's feelings towards the situation, especially the Elena and Mason aspects, as realistic as possible, especially since she tends to overthink like a pro! Hope you enjoy :)

XXX

A warm hand gently stroked my hair, brushing my fringe from my face, slowly waking me up. I sighed and turned onto my side, looking deep into the brown eyes that faced me.

"You and Elena still fighting?" my baby brother quietly asked, his voice breaking the morning silence. His hand came to a stop at the back of my neck and gently settled there.

I nodded slowly, making sure to not dislodge his warm hand, "Haven't actually spoken to her in about three days."

A long three days.

His eyebrows shot up, "Three days? Wow, you must be mad."

I don't think that I had ever gone this long without exchanging a single word with my twin. And I did not like it. Not one bit. It felt wrong. But I had to show her how much she had messed up by not trusting me.

"I am. I really really am."

And that was why I had spent the night in Jer's bed. Thanks to Bonnie's tea, I could now sleep through the night without waking up from nightmares, but I slept better when I was with somebody. It just gave me a sense of security, knowing that someone had my back while I was so vulnerable.

Now that I was fighting with Elena, she was no longer an option. Which was not good as I had spent rather a lot of time bed sharing with her recently. And Damon couldn't spend every night in my bed, even if I wanted him to. Tyler had enough issues to deal with without having to look after me. It's all Mason's fault. The asshole. So I did something that I had not done in a long while, I spent the night sharing a bed with my little brother. We had stayed up late, watching The Simpsons on my laptop before we finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

"Is it because she lied to you? Because that would be really hypocritical of you, Lexa. After all, you did spend the summer completely off your head and lied through your teeth about it."

And that's only one example of the lies that I have told.

I snorted and shook my head, "Know that kiddo."

And I know that it was hypocritical of me. I didn't always tell my twin the truth and I did spend several months in one continuous lie. But I always did my best to not be a hypocrite. Even if it's not always possible. But I tried. That was the main thing.

"So why are you two fighting?"

"Because she didn't trust me. Elena lied to me because she didn't trust that I would be able to keep her secret."

And that's what hurt the most.

My own twin sister, the person who I grew up with, didn't trust me. She thought that, since I had a history of blurting things out, if she told me, then I would end up telling everyone. And that's not fair. I kept quiet about the things that are important, that matter. And that's why I'm mad at Elena.

"Let me guess, it's a Stefan and Elena secret."

"Of course, what else would it be?"

There may have been a strong hint of bitterness in my voice.

But it was justified. Most of the lies that Elena had told in the past year, most of them were related to our dear Stefan Salvatore. Most of her secrets were either about Stefan or she kept them for Stefan. But I guess that I was just as bad. The amount of lies that I had told and secrets that I had kept because of Damon Salvatore, I shudder to think many of them there are. But I didn't lie, didn't keep those secrets because I didn't trust those I cared about.

Jer let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

I stared at him, closely studying his features. Jeremy had changed. It was a noticeable difference, nothing physical. But there was definitely a change. He had... matured. Couldn't say that I'm surprised, what with everything that has happened. I hated that it had happened like this. I wished that he could have kept his innocence for a bit longer. But we weren't that lucky. So I would do what I could to preserve the innocence he had left.

"Hey Jer," I started softly, glancing at the sketches that decorated his wall. "Do you ever wish that we could just... go back in time a year? Back to when life was simpler?"

My brother was silent for a few minutes.

"At times... I have... when it all got bad," he answered haltingly, looking for the right words to express his feelings, his eyes fluttering open. "But then I remember all the good things."

"Like Anna," I nodded in understanding.

"If life was simpler then we may never have met the people who have changed our lives so much. We would be completely different people."

"I sort of see what you mean."

"Can you honestly say, Lexa, that you could imagine your life without Damon in it?"

My first instinct was to say that I could. But I refused to allow myself to answer so quickly. I've spent so long denying my attraction to Damon that I haven't given myself a chance to try and understand it. Damon had become such an important part of my life. He'd been there for me during some of the worst times of my life. And he'd, dare I say it, he'd changed me. For the better.

"No, I couldn't. I don't want to. The thought of Damon not being in my life was just..."

Jeremy leaned forward and kissed my forehead, "Point proven, now stop thinking like that."

"I make no promises."

Especially ones that I know I won't be able to keep.

"Course you don't."

"Let's stop being philosophical and get some more sleep."

I had woken up far too early this morning, completely by accident. And all this deep talk was making my brain sleepy. Not a good combination when one had had a late night too. And not had a good night's sleep in god knows how long.

"Nope, can't do that," my dear little one smirked, pushing away the blanket. "I have somewhere that I need to be."

"Ok, I'll stay here," I mumbled into the pillow as I stopped the kid from pushing the blanket off of me too.

"Sure?"

"Positive."

"Ok then."

While Jeremy prepared himself for leaving the wonder that is our house, I cocooned myself in his blankets and lightly dozed. And if my thoughts were consumed by a handsome man with ice blue eyes, well, no one else would know but me.

As Jer slipped his shoes on, he once again asked, a distinctly innocent tone in his voice, "You sure that you don't wanna come?"

Why was he asking me so much? Is he trying to hint at something? Is there something that I'm supposed to know?

"Yes, child, I'm sure," I opened my eyes so that I could look at him. "Where are you even going?"

The little brat smirked and walked over to the door, "I'm going to go and see your favourite person in the world."

I didn't even need a moment to work it out.

He smirk grew as I shot off of the bed, falling to the floor in the process. Crap. That's not good Alexa, you need to act cool. Silly girl. And, can I just add, owwwww.

Climbing to my feet and brushing myself off, I casually remarked, "You know what, I think I may come. Need to get out of the house at some point."

Poor. That was so poor. And weak. Honestly, I'm useless. What a silly goose I am.

Jeremy laughed at me, "Sure, Lexa, whatever you say."

"Whatever you say," I mouthed mockingly as I pushed past him and into my own bedroom, dodging the elbow aimed my way.

XXX

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I let Jeremy knock on the door while I sat down on the floor of the Salvatore Boarding House porch. The genius that I am, I had managed to get a stone stuck in my shoe. I hated when that happened. It was a horrible, horrible thing. And not only did the stupid stone get in my shoe, it prevented me from personally greeting Damon as I had to get the damn stone out.

The door opened and instead of using a normal, conventional greeting, my little brat of a brother said, "I need to talk to you."

"And why do I need to talk to you?" my vampire shot back before attempting to close the door. I had to admit, I never expected Damon to be polite. In fact, I did actually expect something similar to this. Just without the door closing.

Jer slapped his hand against the door, pushing it back open. Huh. Guess Damon wasn't using his full strength; otherwise Jeremy wouldn't have stood a chance. Maybe he was curious as to what the kid wanted to say. Knowing Damon, he probably felt like he couldn't find out the easy way as he had a stupid reputation to protect.

"Tyler Lockwood has to kill someone to activate his curse," Jer quickly told the vampire before he could push the door closed again. "He's not a werewolf yet."

I shook my head at my brother. Oh Jeremy, sweetheart, I could have told you that.

"Wow, fascinating," Damon deadpanned. Pun not intended. Why was it so easy to create puns when it comes to my Damon? But it does provide some inner-thoughts entertainment. "But, unfortunately for you, not enough."

Even though I could not see his face, I could just sense that goddamn smirk. Yes, that hated, hated smirk. It wasn't at all handsome and it didn't make me feel things that are never felt in relation to Damon. Nuh uh.

Oh look, and there goes the door again. And there is Jeremy's angry teenager pout. Hmmm, perhaps I'd best do what I do best and interfere. Before the pout turned into a tantrum.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" I exclaimed as I turned around and shuffled forward. I placed my feet against the door and pushed it back open. Judging for the lack of resistance, I had obviously shocked the vampire into letting it open again. He clearly hadn't noticed that I was down there. Jeremy's attempts to talk to him must have distracted him too much.

"Heya Damon," I smiled up at my vampire, holding out my hands, enjoying the shocked look on his face. "Mind giving a girl a hand?"

Despite giving me an eyeroll, Damon grasped my hands and yanked me up. It was quite a forceful yank, and I ended up crashing into his chest. Hmm, what a coincidence. Cue internal eyeroll. A strong arm wrapped around my waist and kept me pressed previously mentioned chest. Not that I minded of course. Especially when his scent enveloped me as did his warmth.

I wrapped my arms around Damon's waist and rested my head on his shoulder. Damon's hand slowly stroked my hip as he returned his gaze to the teen standing outside. Resisting the urge to beam like a crazy woman, I pressed my body closer to the vampires and relaxed.

I smirked at my baby brother as he raised an eyebrow at me. But the kid knew better than to say anything. Even if he was a cheeky little shit.

"So, Jeremy, darling, would you like to continue your spiel while you still have an audience?" I prompted my brother before he could say anything about my position in Damon's arms and earn himself a tickle attack.

"Sure, Alexandria, thanks," he gave me a look before looking at Damon, "We all know that Mason Lockwood is a werewolf. He's here looking for a moonstone, a special rock connected to the werewolf legend."

"So that's why Mason has returned to our cursed town of Mystic Falls," I sighed in disappointment. Of course it was. It wouldn't be to see his nephew. To be with his grieving family. To mourn his brother. Oh no, no, no, there had to be an ulterior motive.

"A moonstone?" Damon repeated, obviously intrigued by the revelation.

"And I know where it is," Jer stated confidently. Well, dear brother, I should hope that you do after all this hoohang.

"And you're bringing me this why?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because he enjoys your company?" I suggested, only to receive two glares, one exasperated and one angry.

Jer let out a long breath. It was a poor attempt to control his anger. Which was, admittedly, wise when talking to Salvatore Senior. I did have to admit, my brother's new found emotional control was impressive.

"Do I need a reason?" the teen countered, a touch of anger in his tone, before sighing. "Look, I just want to help, ok?"

Damon stared at my brother for a moment before smirking, "Ah, but what do your sisters' say about this little discovery?"

"Alexa's fine with it," Jer quickly answered, gesturing towards me. "Ask her if you don't believe me."

Damon glanced down at me and I locked gazes with his ice-blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow, silently questioning.

Shrugging, I said, "Its fine with me. No problem. And at least I know what the little brat is up to."

My Damon continued to look into my eyes as he asked Jeremy, "But what about Elena?"

A flash of anger crossed my face as Jeremy stayed silent.

"Oh, you haven't told her," Damon gasped in mock-surprise, eyes widening. "Have you?"

"Well, Elena doesn't want me getting involved in all this," Jer frowned defensively, crossing his arms.

"And you're a Gilbert and you just can't help yourself," Damon stated, finally removing his mesmerising gaze from mine.

"What can I say?" I smiled bitterly as I moved back to my original position against Damon's chest. "It's in our blood."

"Wow, your search for life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic," Damon scoffed at my brother, deciding that he hadn't been enough of a little shit during this conversation.

I frowned and maneuvered myself so that I could elbow the rude vampire in the stomach.

"Don't be mean to him, Damon," I said sternly, looking up at my vampire. "Just don't."

My vampire didn't verbally reply, but he did relax slightly.

"Come on in, Jer," I smiled at my brother as I moved closer to Damon, allowing the kid to walk in.

"I didn't say that he could come in," Damon whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the back of my neck.

I smirked up at him, "I know."

XXX

I lounged on the sofa, trying my hardest to not look at Damon's collection of liquor. I had been so good recently and I didn't wanna ruin that. But of course, the first thing that Damon had done was get a drink. And promptly offer me one. The dick. One day I would lace his entire collection with vervain just to get back at him for teasing me like that.

I gave him a look and crossed my arms.

Since then, the dick had taken great pleasure in refilling his glass in full view of me. I didn't even get any support from Jeremy, the little brat. He thought that it was too amusing. Fear not, I'll get my revenge. And I had plenty of time to think of it while we waited for someone to join us. Not long after we got settled, Damon had announced that he had called for backup and that there would be no werewolf discussions until they arrived.

It didn't take long for our mystery guest to arrive with a big box of goodies. A lot of goody goodies.

"Ric!" Damon greeted the history teaching hunter as he walked through the door with a box in his arms.

Ric breathed out a barely audible "Hey" as he walked into the living room. Where he saw me and Jeremy lurking around.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked, the parental tone coming out to play as he placed the box on a nearby table. He walked over and stood in front of us, crossing his arms. And there is the parental look.

"Avoiding peeps," I shrugged casually as I slipped a pen into my shorts pocket.

"Helping Damon," Jer replied, shooting me a look at my less than helpful answer. "I'm the one who found out about the moonstone."

"No need to boast, baby brother," I rolled my eyes, only to receive a pinch for my comment. To which I gave back a punch to the thigh. While myself and Jeremy were acting like the children that we are, the so-called adults were exchanging looks.

"Does Elena know that you're here?" Alaric asked with a stern look at us.

"Oh my god!" I groaned dramatically, throwing my arms in the air. "Why does everyone ask us that? Elena isn't our mother or our keeper!"

It was Jeremy who gave a proper answer, "Not exactly."

... Ok, not a proper answer. An evasive answer. But hey, it worked.

Ric rolled his eyes but didn't make any further comments. Even though he hadn't been formally told that me and Elena were fighting, although I was willing to guess that Jenna had been giving him the gossip, he was intuitive enough to realise that we weren't acting normally towards one another. As in, we weren't interacting. At all.

"So, Ric," I began casually, just to get the topic off of Elena. "What's in the box?"

I giggled slightly as the completely unintentional movie reference. God, I do love that film. I shall have to watch it again at some point. Hmmm, maybe I should blackmail Damon into watching it with me. It wouldn't be the first time I've blackmailed him into movie night with me. But he enjoyed it, no matter what he says.

Damon wandered over to the box and started riffling through it, the nosy git that he is. I merely stretched out on the sofa and watched with interested eyes.

"This is Isobel's research from Duke," Ric replied with a sigh, not even bothering to stop the vampire. "Her assistant sent it to me."

"Mmm, Vanessa," Damon nodded, pulling a book out of the box and flicking through it. "The bitch who shot me."

I had to work very hard to resist a smile at my vampire's words. I have to admit, I almost expected him to come out with some comment like 'hottie'. But he didn't. And it shouldn't make me feel so damn happy.

Ric confiscated the book as he nodded, "Vanessa, yes."

"Bichessa," I mumbled before smiling slightly at the smirk that briefly appeared on my vampire's face. Despite my sister becoming sort of friends with her, my grudge towards the woman remained strong.

"Now," uh oh, that's Ric's teacher voice, take cover, take cover, "Do you remember the old Aztec curse that she told us about?"

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'p', as I didn't even bother trying to remember.

Damon rolled his eyes at me before saying, "Sun and the Moon, blah blah blah blah."

The 'blah blah blah blah' is the reason why I didn't remember it. It's boring and I didn't want to remember anything that bitch said. I mean, the fact that I was dealing with a serious lack of sleep that day was beyond the point.

"An Aztec curse?" Jer asked as he walked over to the Group of Awesomesauceness. "Cool."

"It really isn't," I sighed, moving my body so that I was hanging upside down, my hair brushing the rug as I picked at a loose thread.

And there comes the teacher voice again.

"Supposedly vampires and werewolves used to roam freely until a shaman put a curse on them to limit their power. Since then, werewolves can only turn on a full moon and vampires are weakened by the sun."

Our resident vampire took the moment to whistle innocently and wiggle his fingers, showing off his daylight ring.

"Most of them," he smirked, looking pleased at my snort.

Ric ignored the unhelpful interruption, "According to the legend, the werewolf part of the curse it sealed with the moonstone."

"Of course it is, it being a moonstone and all," I frowned as a sudden thought hit me. "Does that mean that the vampire bit is sealed with a sunstone?"

"I don't think that it works like that, Alexa," Ric smiled at me as I let my head fall back.

"Oh," I pouted in disappointment. "Well, that's just boring."

"What do you mean sealed?" baby bro asked as he looked at some paper thing that our Ric gave him, looking excited at being included.

"It's a witch thing," Damon started before I interrupted him with an 'oh oh oh!'. He took the moment to sigh before saying, "Yes Alexa?"

"I think I know this," I replied with poorly hidden excitement as I sat back up. "Is it something to do with the object that seals the curse is either the actual key or something to do with the key to unsealing the curse?"

"Huh, what do ya know, there is a brain in there," Damon smirked down at me as he rested a hand on my head.

"So, does that mean that I was right?"

"Yeah, you were right."

I beamed in excitement and pride before doing a happy dance.

I was right. I was right. I was right.

"Maybe Mason Lockwood believes that he can use the moonstone to break the curse," Ric suggested thoughtfully, his teacher brain running through all the possibilities.

"Possibly," I said thoughtfully as I finally rolled off of the sofa and walked over to the males in the room.

"If we start believing in some supernatural witchy-woo legend from a picture book, we're idiots," the supernatural creature in the room scoffed.

"But Damon, you are an idiot," I blinked innocently up at the vampire before ducking behind the safety shield that was my Ric.

"Ha ha Alexa," Damon deadpanned, giving me a look that promised retribution. "Now, who has the stone now?"

"Ty," I answer as I emerged from my hiding place and stood at my brother's side

"Can you get it?" Damon asked, looking at me.

"I can," Jeremy answered before I could.

I opened my mouth before closing it in confusion. My Damon and I exchanged looks before looking at the teen.

"Come again?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Well, I've been spending some time around Tyler recently, bonding, y'know, so I thought that I would see just how strong a friendship we have."

I squinted in suspicion, "Huh, sure, ok then. If you wanna."

Well, that sure threw me through a loop-de-loop. I was normally the one who dealt with Tyler. It felt... weird to not have that job now. I felt kind of lost.

"See, now your life has purpose," my vampire smirked at my brother.

I rolled my eyes and prayed for patience. Why do my boys insist on driving me over the edge to insanity?

"So, do you believe it? The book?" Jer questioned, moving the conversation away from his 'life's purpose'.

"It's the same book that says a werewolf bite kills a vampire. Ignoring it would make an even bigger idiot," Damon rolled his eyes. "Now, let's go."

Damon wrapped an arm around my shoulder and directed me towards the door. I bit my lip to hide the smile that was desperate to appear and relaxed in Damon's hold, once again resting my head on his shoulder.

XXX

"Do we have to go and talk to Elena?" I grouched as we walked through the Lockwood house. My arm was linked with Damon's while my head rested against his shoulder. I don't know why, but it felt... natural... right... to walk with him like this. I had noticed Ric roll his eyes at it before he disappeared further into the house to track down my aunt.

"Yes, we do," Damon replied, a hint of a smirk appearing on his lips at my whining.

"Why?" I whined pitifully, doing my best to change Damon's mind.

"Because if anyone knows where Stefan is, it'll be her."

I scrunched up my nose, trying to think of an argument to that before giving up and frowning, "Stupid logic."

"Just because you're incapable of it."

"Hey! I can be logical when I want to be!"

"Of course, Alexa, of course."

"Don't patronise me," I mumbled as we walked up behind my sister. Her attention was focused on something outside so she didn't see us until she glanced to the side. A startled look briefly appeared on her face before it was quickly replaced with an annoyed one. Whether that was aimed at me or Damon, I didn't know. While it probably was Damon, I wouldn't have been too surprised if it was aimed at me. I knew that Elena thought I was being stupid and irrational with my anger. Which only served to piss me off even more.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" she asked, glaring at my vampire and taking a step away from him.

I made sure to keep Damon between Elena and I. It would probably be easier for everyone if we weren't standing next to each other for a while. Not that I needed to bother, of course. She barely looked at me and when she did, it was merely a one second glance.

I could see the frustration in her eyes and narrowed mine in return. She had no right to be frustrated by this argument. She didn't trust me and lied to me. I should be the one frustrated, not her.

"Dropping your sister off here. Looking for my baby bro," Damon replied vaguely, glancing around. "Speaking of, would you tell yours to stop following me around? Your annoying twin just laughs whenever I ask her."

I turned my head and giggled into his shoulder. It was just revenge. Pure and simple revenge. For all the times that he has annoyed me. I did tell him that I would get my revenge, I always do.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, glancing between us in suspicion.

"Ask eager beaver," he replied before turning his back to her.

I released my grip on Damon's arm as he gently tapped me on the nose, "I'll be seeing you later."

"Damn right you will," I smiled up at him before he turned and walked out of the room.

I sighed and watched him leave.

Damn feelings.

It wasn't until Elena spoke that I realised that Jeremy was standing behind me.

"Jeremy, what is he making you do?" she asked him, her tone stern.

I turned around and crossed my arms. Hmmm, this should be rather interesting to watch.

"He's not making me do anything," Jeremy replied snappishly, a hint of anger in his voice. He clearly was not happy with the question. "Damon and I-"

"Uh, no," Elena rudely interrupted him. "No way. No, no, no, no. There is no 'Damon and you'. There's Damon and whoever Damon is using." Is she suggesting that Damon is merely using me? Or am I the exception to that? "And those people, they end up dead."

"Well then, I'm looking pretty damn fine for a dead person," I muttered, rolling my eyes at my idiot sister's words. Elena gave me a look before continuing to scold our brother for daring to do something with the oh so evil Damon Salvatore. Oh the shock horror.

But seriously though, a lot of people have been giving me 'looks' today. Are they trying to tell me something? It's not as though I've behaved any differently or anything. Although, saying that, I have been a tad more bitter than normal. But that's no excuse to keep giving me looks. I was getting more sleep than I was before. And I was actually dealing with my PTSD. So allow me some bitterness.

"Whatever is going on Jeremy, I want you to stay out of it."

Well now, that sounded like an order. Why should he, Elena? He's as much a part of this as we are. Maybe even more so as he was a Gilbert son. As much as we hated it, it was a part of his heritage to be involved in the vampire bullshit. And by being involved, I could keep him safe.

"I don't really care what you want, Elena," Jeremy retorted with an angry look. "Especially since Alexa doesn't mind that I am involved in this. And we both know how ridiculously overprotective she can get."

"That's not the point," the older Gilbert tried to argue but she was completely steamrolled by the angry teenager.

"No, the point is that it's because of you that I'm in this mess in the first place, so I'm sorry, but you really don't get to tell me what I'm gonna do."

With that said, he turned and stormed of out of the room.

We stood there in silence for a couple of minutes, unable to look at each other. It didn't take long for me to crack and start talking.

"It isn't just because of you that this happened," I reluctantly tried to reassure my twin. "We're both to blame and it's not fair for Jer to just blame you."

I glanced at Ellie out of the corner of my eye before muttering "Laterz" and walking out of the room.

God, even when I was fighting with her, I couldn't bear to see her upset. I hated that we were fighting. It was wrong, so so so wrong. And I hated it. All I wanted to do was tackle-hug my twin and apologise for being such a bitch to her. But it was stupid, because I was justified in my anger.

It was just a horrible situation. One that I hoped would resolve itself quickly.

XXX

I had managed to find myself a secluded and quiet place to sit down in. I just didn't want to be around people. It was all too loud and I couldn't think. That's what I needed. Time to think. Think about how I'm feeling. Why I'm feeling it. What I'm gonna do about those feelings.

Why was life so complicated? All I wanted was a simple life where I could be with the man who I loved. Life sucked. Big time.

The sound of my phone ringing caught my attention. With an exaggerated sigh, I pulled it from my pocket and answered, "You have reached the phone of Alexa Gilbert, how may I help you?"

"Alex, why has your brother been researching the moonstone?"

I shrugged my shoulders, momentarily forgetting that Ty couldn't actually see me, "Because he has nothing better to do with his time?"

"Serious answer please."

"Seriously? I had no idea that he had researched the moonstone. I've been busy..."

"Fighting with Elena."

"Hang on a minute, I don't remember telling you that."

"You sleep texted me the other night."

"I did? Huh, do not remember that."

"That's because it was about 3 in the morning."

"I haven't been sleeping well. Even with Bonnie's tea stopping the nightmares, this stupid fight has been disturbing me."

"And you haven't been baking?"

"Baking makes it obvious that I haven't been sleeping well."

"Oh Alex, where are you now?"

"In a quiet place where I can take the time to think. And can I just say, there were so many 't' words in that sentence, go alliteration."

Tyler sighed, ignoring my attempt at distracting him, "You're thinking? Huh, well, don't strain yourself."

"Don't strain yourself," I repeated mockingly, making my big bro laugh.

"I'll speak to you later, Alex."

"Make sure that you do."

"If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Tyler, I'll be fine."

"Good, make sure that you are. Bye Alex."

"Buh bye Ty."

I shoved my phone back into my pocket before groaning; "Now I want cupcakes."

Curse you Tyler Lockwood. He knew that cupcakes were next on my list to bake. And he knew that I had been craving them. The thought of a red velvet cupcake had my mouth watering. But unfortunately, I didn't have any at home. And now the little shit had awoken my cravings.

"Ok, this is as far as I go."

Seriously? People? Hang on, no wait, that's not people...

"Bonnie?"

I turned around to see Bonnie Bennet being pulled towards me by Damon whilst being followed by a texting Stefan.

"Alexa, what are you doing here?" Bon asked, pulling her arm from Damon's grasp and taking a step closer to me.

"Not much, just chillaxing," I replied, lifting one shoulder in a shrug as I climbed to my feet. "What are you guys doin' here?"

Damon watched me closely as Bonnie said, "Damon's after something, as usual."

"Alrighty then, Damon, what is it that you want?" I turned my gaze onto the older vampire, my gaze catching his. I couldn't read the look in his eyes but it gave me a funny feeling in my tummy.

"A favour," he answered, switching his gaze to the witch as I made my way over to them.

The Bennett snorted, "Like that's gonna happen."

"So predictable," Damon rolled his eyes before gesturing at his brother. "Which is why I brought him."

"I know how you feel about helping us out," Stefan cut in, trying to keep the peace between the two. "But since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them, so, please, just hear us out."

While Bon was staring at Salvatore Junior with barely concealed suspicion, I was frozen in shock. Mason... linked... with... Katherine. No. Not possible. No. No. No. He can't... how... no.

"What do you mean 'linked Mason with Katherine'?" I asked, hiding my shaking hands behind my back. "Would someone please explain that to me?"

There was a note of hysteria in my voice, one that I didn't even bother trying to hide. The thought of Mason, the man that I grew up with, the man who I consider to be family, being linked with the psychotic bitch who tried to kill me, ok, actually succeeded in killing me, it made me feel ill. It felt like I was being betrayed by him all over again.

The trio stayed silent, none of them able to look me in the eye.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my gaze, "If you guys won't tell me, then I'll just go straight to Mason. I'm sure that he will tell me."

"Alright," Bon relented with a sigh. "When I... touched Mason, I got a vision of him... kissing Katherine."

"Oh, right, well then," I breathed out as I automatically shifted over to Damon and leant against him. I had no right to feel betrayed. After all, Mason didn't know about the whole Katherine killing me situation. And yet, for some reason, I did feel betrayed. And scared, because if he was working for her, then the people who I cared about may be in danger. Again. Mason had already succeeded in hurting Damon and Stefan once. And he had threatened to snap my sister's neck. And that was just when he was acting on his own. If he was working with Katherine, he might actually succeed in getting someone killed.

Looking my friend in the eye, I pleaded, "Bonnie, help them."

She stared at me before a small smile appeared on her face. She could probably guess my feelings. I had told her what Mason had done and how that had hurt me. She knew how I felt about Mason and how I felt about Katherine. She knew how important this was.

"Of course, Alexa," she nodded before looking at the vampires. "I'm listening."

It was at that moment that the phone belonging to Salvatore the younger began to ring. And, of course, it was my dear twin sister who was phoning. The girl that he had 'broken up with'. Pfft such bullshit. I had heard them this morning too. It was just like salt being rubbed into the wound. The traitorous little bitches.

"I have to fill Elena in on what's going on," Stefan sighed before answering the phone and walking away.

"So, Damon, what is it, exactly, that you want Bonnie to do?" I asked, craning my neck so that I could look the vampire in the face. I could feel my heart racing from the news but I fought to control it. And working on a plan would help with that.

"All she has to do is touch Mason Lockwood again to see if he gave Katherine the moonstone," he replied as his arm came up to wrap around my waist.

"Oh, right, that sounds simple."

"My visions don't work like that," Bon-Bon rejected the plan immediately. "I don't get to ask questions."

"How inconvenient," Damon snarked, giving the witch a look.

"My thoughts exactly," I muttered as I tried to think of another plan. Damn. Stupid witchy powers. Can't do anything right. Well, that wasn't fair. Her witchy abilities had helped with my nightmares. God I loved Bonnie even more for that.

And there goes Damon's plan face. Why so I suddenly feel as though I should hide in an underground bunker?

"Ok then, let's talk about that little witchy juju thing that you do with me," the vampire stated with a distasteful look as he remembered the feeling. "You know, the fun one where my brain bursts into flames? What is that?"

Oooh I hated that. It made my brain hurt just watching it. And Damon's cries whenever it happened to him were just heart-wrenching.

"That's me giving you an aneurysm," the witch answered with a small smirk. "Your blood vessels go pop, but you heal quickly, so I do it over and over again."

"Well that sounds just... lovely," I scrunched my nose, shaking my head. I really did not want to know that. Ignorance really was bliss in some circumstances.

"Is it vampire specific?"

Oh no, I know what you're thinking Mr Salvatore. And I don't think that I approve.

"It'd work on anyone with a supernatural healing ability," Bon-Bon shrugged, unaware of what Damon was thinking.

"Good," Damon nodded, his mind whirring with the possibilities. "Good, good."

"No, no, my dear Damon," I cut into the thoughts racing through the vampire's head. "It is not good."

"Damon, I'm not gonna let you hurt him," Bon glared at Damon as she realised what he was thinking. She crossed her arms in full on righteous witchy anger mode. Not gonna lie, she was kinda hot like that.

"Look, Mason Lockwood is a werewolf, Katherine is evil," Damon retorted, his arm pressing me tighter against his chest. "They're the bad guys. Really? You're gonna play the morality police with me right now? Let me put this to you another way: they're a threat to Elena and to Alexa. Especially Katherine, considering the violent history between the bitch and our crazy one." Ah yes, violent history meaning that she snapped my neck the first time that we met. And has to tried to kill me several times since. "So you, witch, are gonna get over yourself and help us."

Wow, what a speech, Damon, what a goddamn speech.

"Yeah, he meant that as a question with a 'please' on the end," Stefan popped back into the conversation with a strained smile on his face.

"Absolutely," my vampire agreed with a faint hint of a sneer.

XXX

"You lot really owe me for this," I growled to myself as I tried to stop the table from rolling off the truck and squashing me. I had somehow picked the heaviest piece of furniture on the truck. And the one with the highest chance of rolling out and squashing me. Which was just, yay. Just my luck.

"It'll be fine, Alexa," Bonnie reassured me from her spot behind the door to the truck. She quickly peered around the side and gave me a quick smile before disappearing. I rolled my eyes but her smile warmed my heart. I knew that none of them would let me get hurt, even if the danger was just from a heavy table. But that didn't stop me from being grouchy about it.

"If it isn't then I am never helping you ever ever again. And that counts for you too, Salvatore's, I swear that if this thing squashes me that I'll never forgive you."

The only reason why I was doing this and not Bonnie was because of the history between me and Mason. In other words, the desperate need he suddenly has to make things right between us after he threatened to snap my twin's neck. So of course, if I was being all damsel in distressy then he would come rushing over to rescue me.

I let out a high pitched squeak as the table finally made its attack and rolled towards me. Fortunately, before I could become an Alexa pancake, a tanned hand appeared above me and steadied the wooden monster.

"Thanks Mason," I panted slightly as I glanced at him over my shoulder. His eyes shone with hope as they caught mine. It broke my heart to see. Even after I had declared him dead to me, he still wanted to fix our relationship. And here I was, betraying him. Ugh, I felt horrible.

"No problem, Alex," he smiled as he gently nudged me out of the way and lifted the table from the truck and placed it on the ground. "You know, you really need to get some muscle on you."

I smirked and shrugged, "It's so much more fun to watch all the muscular boys just do it for me."

Mason laughed at me, shaking his head, "So how did you get stuck doing that all by yourself?"

"Well, funny story, all the assholes bailed on me. Every single one of them. They muttered something about pricks. Or was that picks? Ah yes, it was picks. D-something picks," I rambled as the guilt over my actions caught up to me. I hated myself for being involved in this but I had to protect my loved ones.

"Draft picks?" Mason suggested, a fondness filling his tone. A fondness which made my heart ache. I suddenly wanted to abort the plan. But I couldn't. Too much rested on this.

"Yes! That's it. Well, at least someone knew."

"I thought Tyler had taught you all about football," Mason laughed, nudging my shoulder and my level of self-loathing tripled.

"You think I actually listen to him?" I choked out a laugh as I tried to act normal. But I knew that I couldn't carry on a conversation with him. With Mason trying so hard to get back to how things were, I knew that I would break. And I couldn't afford to. So I had to end this.

I smiled up at the Lockwood as I leant back against the truck and causally kicked the wheel. At my signal, Bonnie started her witchy bad juju spell and Mason fell to the ground, clutching his head in agony. His cries of pain just cut right through my heart.

"I'm so so sorry," I whimpered, sinking to my knees and reaching out for him. I could hear Bonnie's whispered apology as she placed her hand on my shoulder. Bonnie knew how I felt and she could see how much this was affecting me. I knew that Damon could too, but I also knew that he was protecting us all by doing this. And that was why he wouldn't stop. I respected him for that, I really did.

Damon stalked out of his hiding place and made his way straight towards the hurting werewolf. He sneered down at him for a moment before kneeing him in the face. I winced as Mason's limp body fell to the floor.

Damn it, Alexa, get yourself together, girl. Your friends needed you.

I dragged myself to my feet and followed the older vampire as he walked over to Mason's jeep. Stefan tossed Damon the keys as he knelt down by the werewolf. Damon unlocked the jeep before turning to face me with a soft look on his face. He must have been something in my expression as he sighed and rested his hand on my cheek. My eyes flickered up and met his. I could see the sympathy in those beautiful blue depths, the guilt, but we both knew that he was doing what needed to be done. So I nodded my head and took a fortifying breath.

"In you get," he muttered as he helped me into the passenger seat.

While the boys loaded Mason into the boot of the jeep, Bonnie climbed onto the backseat and settling in behind me. I could feel her gaze on me and I could tell that she felt my guilt. But we all knew the danger that Katherine posed. And we needed to get answers any way we could.

"You alright?" she asked softly, resting a hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Nodding, I pushed all of my misgivings and guilt and sadness away. I had to be strong. And goddamnit I would be. I wouldn't be the weak link here. I had to help, I wanted to help, even when it got ugly. And maybe, just maybe, if I was there, Mason would give us the answers we needed without any trouble.

"Fine."

Ok, so if my voice was slightly choked up, well, neither of us mentioned it.

XXX

As soon as the engine to the jeep was turned off, I was out of the vehicle and in the Salvatore Boarding House. There was no way that I was gonna spend one more moment in that jeep. It was the same one that Mason used to ferry us around as children. And it felt like such a huge betrayal to be using it for this purpose. During the short journey, it felt like I was going to throw up and the betrayal it symbolised.

Damon had already set up a thick blanket under the designated 'nasty chair'. And I could just guess at what sort of nasties that would be committed. I knew that Damon had been a soldier in his time. And even though he soon abandoned the cause, he had still learnt a lot in his time in the army. Add that to the viciousness that had developed during his time as a vampire and it spelled bad for the werewolf.

I watched as Damon carelessly dropped Mason onto the chair while Bonnie brought Mason's bag in. She grunted at the effort it required to heft the bag onto a chair. A strange rattling sound came from the bag as it landed on the chair.

"Here's his bag. As requested."

I could only shake my head at Bonnie's obvious dislike at being bossed around by Damon. I knew that she was only working with him because of the threat that Mason and Katherine posed. And because I was there.

"Alexa, a hand?" Damon asked, gesturing towards the blanket that was under the chair. The sides of the blanket were folded up by the sides. Clearly Damon was expecting this to get messy if he wanted the entire blanket rolled out.

I rolled my eyes but walked forward to grab the corner opposite to Damon's.

"Of course, your OCDness," I muttered into the silence as I helped expand the blanket, covering the old and expensive rug that Damon adored.

"I don't have OCD."

"Sure you don't."

"Why are you doing that?" Bon-Bon asked before it could escalate.

"It's so he doesn't get blood on the carpet," I told her with a roll of the eyes directed at Damon.

"I knew that it would be something like that," the witch muttered, looking slightly frustrated and queasy at the thought.

"Well, it is Damon," I shrugged, giving said Damon a smirk as he complained about my low opinion of him.

"Judging again."

"Oh but of course, dear."

I got pushed onto the sofa for my remark. Well, once we had finished laying out the carpet protection. He had to protect his rug, of course.

"He's not gonna be out for much longer," Bon warned Damon as he wandered over and started rummaging through Mason's bag.

As the vampire satisfied his curiousity, I slowly walked over to Mason and crouched down in front of him. I rested my hand on his knee as I observed the other two conscious people in the room, my gaze fluttering back to the werewolf frequently. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry, to ask for his forgiveness. But I couldn't. If he really was working for Katherine, then he was a threat. A threat to the people that I care about. A threat that needed to be stopped. And I would do anything to protect the ones I loved. Unfortunately, as much as I used to love Mason, he was no longer in that category. He couldn't be. Not after he threatened to snap Elena's neck. Not after he got Stefan and Damon tortured by the Sheriff.

"Whoa, looks like this guy is used to being tied up," Damon pulled a rather large amount of chains out of the bag with an impressed look.

"Huh, never took Mason for the kinky type," I muttered, moving out of Bonnie's way as she gently tapped my shoulder. I immediately walked over to Damon and rested against his side. It was becoming almost like an... automatic reaction, something that I did whenever we were in the same room together. And I... liked it. Huh. I needed it too. Especially right now.

Damn boy, those are a lot of chains.

"What are you doing?"

I glanced up at my vampire, about to reply with a "Thinking dirty thoughts, you?" when I realised that he was talking to the witch in the room.

Said witch had just placed her hands on the werewolf's heads and closed her eyes. A look of deep concentration formed on her face. Considering she had got a picture from Mason before, a just a mere graze, it wasn't hard to work out that she was looking for answers. And I appreciated it. If we managed to get what we needed through Bonnie, then we didn't need to hurt Mason. As long as he cooperated.

"You're looking for a moonstone," Bon replied, scrunching her face up even further in concentration. "I'm trying to help you find it."

Awwww, isn't it brilliant that they are getting along? Even if it is a... reluctant partnership. Ah well, I'll take anything that I can get at the moment. And apparently, getting along involves chaining an unconscious werewolf to a chair. Huh, who knew?

"Oh, good, yeah," Damon fumbled for an appropriate reply before settling on his usual demandingness. "Find out if he gave it to Katherine. And find out where she is. And find out what they're gonna do with it once they get it."

"Godssake, Damon, anything? Or is that all?" I rolled my eyes, elbowing the demanding Salvatore in the side before making my way over to the mantelpiece and leaning against it. The fire behind me warmed my legs as I watched Bonnie's back while she worked. I could see her face in the reflection on the glass cabinet at the end of the room. It was easier, watching this way, as I didn't have to look at Mason's face.

It was immediately obvious when Bonnie's witchy juju started working. Her voice took on this... quality and her eyes flickered rapidly underneath her eyelids.

"Somewhere small... Dark... There's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon suggested, a frown adorning his face as he tried to piece together the clues.

"No," Bonnie shook her head, confusion clear on her face. "Like a well? That can't be right... Yeah... It's a well."

A well?

Hmmm, think, brain, think.

"Why would it be in a well?"

That's what we would all like to know, Damon. If Mason had the moonstone, then why wasn't it with Katherine? Because from what I knew about Katherine, she wouldn't hide something in a dark and dank well.

Bonnie removed her hands and opened her eyes. The first thing that she did was give the vampire an unimpressed look, "I told you, I only get what I get."

Just as Damon was about to respond with what was guaranteed to be an 'epic' snark, the forgotten werewolf let out a grunt and grabbed Bon by the wrist. It wasn't a strong grip, but it was enough to startle us all.

The witch gasped as Damon and I sprang into action.

I wrapped my arms around Bonnie's waist and pulled her backwards while Damon used his superior strength to rip Mason's hand away. I could feel Bonnie's heart racing through her chest as Mason groaned his way back into unconsciousness.

"That's it," Bonnie exclaimed loudly in shock. "That's all I got."

She gave my arm a squeeze in thanks before shrugging off my arms and storming out. I couldn't blame her for having enough. Bonnie hated vampires enough as it was. Let alone helping them to hurt others, even if it was to protect her loved ones. I was just thankful that she had helped us as much as she did.

"Hey, judgey!" Damon called before she could leave the room. The witch paused and glanced back, a curious look on her face. I paused too, curious as to what Damon had to say. And he didn't disappoint.

"Thank you," he told her, his tone serious and his eyes soft.

A small smile formed on my face as I added, "Yo Bennet. There's a well on the old Lockwood property, along the edge. That might be what you're looking for."

"Thanks Alexa," she smiled at me, her eyes kind as they met mine.

I shrugged casually, acting all cool and calm and controlled, "Meh, it's about time that my obsessive friendship with the Lockwood's proved useful."

But inside, inside I was jumping for joy. I had done something useful. I had been helpful. Yeah, it was only small. But it was a start. And I needed that feeling.

The sound of Damon punching Mason in the face jolted me from my thoughts.

"Come on. Wake up, wolf boy."

Oh crap. This was not gonna be good.

XXX

I was right.

It wasn't good.

It wasn't at all good.

Damon was heating up an iron poker in the fireplace. And I didn't even want to imagine what he was gonna do with it. I knew that I had to get answers out of Mason before Damon could carry out his threat with the iron poker. Despite my disowning of him, I didn't want Mason to get tortured. Not when he could so easily give us the information we needed.

"Look, Mason," I started as I crouched down in front of the werewolf. "I don't know what he will do to you, but I can guarantee that it won't be good." Mason refused to look at me, choosing to glare at the vampire instead. "Please, just tell him what he wants to know. How do you know Katherine? What is she up to?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Alexandria," he said coldly, refusing to meet my gaze. His tone hurt more than I care to admit. But I deserved it. I had betrayed him but helping to put him in this position. But he had to understand why I was doing this. It wasn't because I wanted to. It was because I had to protect the ones I loved.

"We have to do this, Mason. Katherine is threat to the people that I care about, to everyone. And you're protecting her," I paused, almost hesitating before asking, "Why are you protecting her?"

No answer.

"Mason, she killed me. The first time that we met, she snapped my neck and killed me. She just left my body there in the street, not giving a shit about the fact that she killed me."

There was a desperate edge to my voice. One that I couldn't hide, even if I had wanted to. While I was coming to terms with what happened to me, with my death, it was still hard for me to talk about.

"Mason, please."

A strong arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me to my feet. I found myself staring into ice-blue eyes while firm hands steered me away from the werewolf. His eyes were soft as they met mine. I knew that I was tearing up. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Whether it was from talking about my death or from the situation, I didn't know. But I did know that I was close to breaking down.

"Alexa, you're not gonna want to be around for this," he spoke softly into my hair as I threw my arms around him and pulled him close. I let his scent envelope me, giving me the comfort I desperately needed.

"Ok," I mumbled into his chest. "I'll go help with Operation Recover Moonstone From Lockwood Well."

"You do that."

I reluctantly pulled away before glancing up, "Just... be careful. Ok?"

"I always am," he smirked at me, gently brushing my hair from my face.

I couldn't help but look over at Mason. His face was blank but I could see his fear written into his body language. And I couldn't stop myself from begging, "Just give him a chance to answer your questions. Please?"

Damon studied my face before nodding sharply. I knew that it was the best I would get. And that Damon was being kind by promising me that much. It was far more than Mason deserved, if I was being brutally honest. I did it for the man I used to know. For Tyler's uncle.

I couldn't tear my gaze from the werewolf. I knew that I had to leave but I just couldn't. Damon sighed above me and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. My eyes fluttered shut as Damon pulled me in for one more hug before directing me to the door and wandering back over to the fireplace.

Right, iron poker.

Alexa, run.

XXX

It was pure instinct that drove me to the well on the old Lockwood property. I could have gone to Lockwood house first, to try and find Stefan first. But I knew that Elena and Stefan would be at the well and a gut feeling told me that something was not right. But then again, it's not like I need a gut feeling to know that. Those two can't go five minutes with something bad happening to them. And they had the nerve to call me the trouble magnet.

And it's a damn good thing that I did go.

When I arrived, I found Elena wrapping the end of an old chain around herself while Caroline attached it to the well. Both of them had worried looks on their faces as I noted that there was no sign of Stefan. That sent immediate red flags through my mind as I knew that Stefan wouldn't let these two be here alone.

"Guys, whats going on?" I asked as I quickly approached the well. Despite my anger with my sister, I was worried by the thought of her going down into that well.

"Stefan's stuck at the bottom of the well," Elena explained in a rush, clearly anxious to go down there. "It's filled with vervain."

Ah. That's why she's so anxious to go down there. Oh fuck, poor Stefan. We needed to get him out of there.

"Alrighty then," I sighed as I stepped forward and helped Elena with the chain. I kept my gaze on the metal as I worked to secure it around her. I could feel Ellie's gaze on the top of my head but I refused to look up. We needed to save Stefan before we could talk about our recent issues.

Once the chains were adjusted accordingly, I helped Elena onto the rim of the well. Knowing that she hadn't thought of it, I slipped her phone and keys out of her pocket and into my own. My twin flashed a small smile of gratitude in my direction before looking at the blonde vampire in front of us. Caroline was worried, it was clear to see, but she was putting on a strong face for us both.

"I got you, ok?" she tried to reassure my twin, a determined look on her face as she tried to believe her own words.

"Yeah," Ellie nodded, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

"That's it, in and ok, you can do this," I squeezed Elena's shoulders in encouragement as she glanced down into the dark depths of the well.

"What's going on?"

I glanced behind me to see Bonnie Bennet come running up to us. She glanced between us, taking stock of the situation, a worried look on her face, "You just took off in a blur."

"I heard Elena screaming," Care replied distractedly as she adjusted her grip on the chains.

I took a deep breath before lowering my sister down into the well. I gave her hand a squeeze before withdrawing it to guide the chain down. My heart pounded in my chest as my sister hung in the air, supported only by Caroline's grip on the old chain.

"Are you ready?" the vampire checked, glancing over at me and Bonnie as we held Elena steady.

"Yeah," Ellie breathed, staring down into the well, a determined look forming on her face.

Caroline began to lower Elena down into the well, slowly reeling her down, inch by inch. I had to focus on my breathing as my sister slowly disappeared into the darkness of the well. Bonnie shared my thoughts as she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.

My first heart attack caused by Operation Get Moonstone Out Of Well occurred when Care momentarily lost her hold on the chain. It was only for about a second, if that. Thankfully, the chain didn't drop my sister very far and she was safely secured in the chains. But it was enough to give ma goddamn heart attack.

"Sorry!" Caroline shouted down the well, giving us an apologetic look too. Sorry? Sorry? Is that you have to say? You almost drop her down a well and sorry is the only thing that you have to say? Just breath Alexa, it wasn't Caroline's fault. And she caught her. Just calm down.

"It's ok," Elena shouted back from her position in the well. "Just keep going. Come on!"

Oh so you almost fall to the bottom of the well and your only response is to keep going. Well, we Gilberts certainly are determined. My sister even more so. Especially when it was her epic love Stefan that was involved.

Caroline continued to lower my twin down into the vervain filled well, as I moved away from the stone rimmed pit and began to pace. Back and forth, glancing over at the well with every lap. I was angry at my twin. So goddamn angry at her. But I didn't want her to do something like this. But I suppose, if our situations were reversed, and Damon was down in that vervain filled pit of hell, then I would be battling my way down too.

The vampire in our midst had obviously heard something as she yelled down, "Elena, what's going on down there?"

"Yo, twin! What the hell is happening?" I added my voice to the Elena calling as I stepped back towards the well. Hopefully she'll respond to one of our voices, even if it is Caroline's and not mine. I wouldn't even care. I just needed her to respond.

"Pull him up!"

Ok, even I heard Elena's panicked shout. But, to be fair to her, it sounded as though she was in control of her panic.

It didn't take long for Care to hoist the injured Salvatore to the top of the well. From there, I took charge of untying the chains while Bonnie held him steady. I could feel the vervain water soak through my top and while I felt the urge to pull away, I pulled the injured vampire closer. It wouldn't be kind of me to let him drop while he was so weak and helpless. I could put up with a little bit of discomfort if it meant helping him.

Once I had succeeded in undoing the chains, Caroline helped me lower the injured vampire to the floor. It wasn't until that moment that I had my first look at the damage that the vervain had caused. And it did not look pretty. Stefan let out small moans of pain as I looked at the burnt and rotted skin. My stomach turned at the appearance of the vampire and I had to look away.

"Elena! Ready for you!"

Caroline's voice jolted me from my observation and I quickly dashed back over to the well. I could see the light from the torch shining around, briefly illuminating my sister on occasion.

"Hold on!" my idiot twin shouted back as she splashed around. "I need to find the stone."

I leant over the side of the well, trusting Caroline to grab me if I started to fall, and watched as Elena began to root around between the stones in an attempt to find that damned moonstone.

"Elena, for godsake, get your ass into gear and get the hell outta there!" I shouted down at my sister, panic and fear clear in my tone. Due to my human vision, I could only see what was being illuminated by the flashlight. And I hated it. I needed to know what was happening down there.

"Hold on! I think I found it!"

There was excitement in her voice and... was that a box? Huh, she may have actually found it. Well, that would solve one problem for us all.

The next sound that I heard from the well was a petrified scream. Fear consumed me as the screaming continued.

"Elena? Elena!"

"Elena!"

Caroline and I exchanged glances as we called down for my sister. The fear and panic that I felt was clearly reflected on her face. My heart pounded, echoing in my ears as I tried to hear my sister's response. Anything to tell me that she was okay.

"Ellie! What the hell is going on down there?!"

"I got it!" she shouted back, as the chain moved around in front of us. It was clear that she was wrapping it around herself in preparation of getting the hell out of that well. Well, that doesn't exactly answer my question, sweetheart.

"Come on! Bring me up!"

"Get her out of there," I ordered the vampire as I got into position to help her out. My hand shook as I waited for her to make an appearance. While I knew that she was okay, I wouldn't truly believe it until I saw it.

The moment that my twin reached the top of the well, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her towards me. Holding her tightly in my arms, I murmured in her ear, "Jesus Mary Mother of the Christ Almighty, never do that to me again, Elena. Are you hurt? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Alexa," my twin replied before she glanced over my shoulder. "Oh my god! Stefan!"

Elena pushed past me and fell to the ground beside her boyfriend. I couldn't stop the sting of rejection that I felt deep down as my sister fussed over her boyfriend. But I ruthlessly buried it.

"Stefan? Stefan!"

Her hands hovered over him for a moment, unsure of where to touch him, before she grabbed a nearly rock. The sound of rock slicing through flesh had me flinching and turning around. I knew what she had done and why she had done it, but that didn't mean that I wanted to watch it.

Caroline had also turned around when Elena had made the cut on her hand. Her baby vampire instincts were still kicking strong and I could see that she was fighting the urge to get her some human blood fresh from the vein.

"I've got the stone. Stefan. Stefan, it's gonna be ok, everything's gonna be ok."

Sigh.

The things that people did for love.

XXX

I sat, well, sprawled, in one of the kitchen chairs, a glass of cola in one hand, phone in the other.

"Look, you've got to tell me eventually... Yeah, you do... I don't care if you want to or not... Because I want to know... Tough cookies, bratface... Look, you've got to come home some time... What do you mean 'you're not hungry'?... I'll give you some of my choc... Actually, I don't want to know that badly... See you later, kiddo... what do you mean someone else is calling you, you can't hang up on me... ugh, fine, but I'll get answers out of you later, shit face… Bye Jer."

Well then.

The little brat didn't want to tell me what he had done with his day while I had been busy Elena and Stefan rescuing. And I wanted to know. Said that he 'didn't want to talk about it'. Meh, I'll get it out of him later. When the brat finally made his appearance.

"Where is Jeremy?"

I turned my head to see Elena wander into the kitchen. She had changed clothes since she got home, hers having been ruined by the dirty, vervain water. I had heard her shower earlier too, washing the water from her hair before she called Stefan to check in on him.

"Oh, he's not home yet," Ric replied from his position next to me where he was clearing away essays while the food cooked. "He said that he wasn't hungry when Jenna called him."

"Not true," I muttered into my drink. "He's just avoiding me, the little shithead."

Ric smiled at me and gave my shoulder a squeeze before moving around the table. He didn't bother commenting on my language as he knew well enough by now that it was a term of endearment. Just like when Jeremy called me a stubborn little bitch.

As Elena started laying out the plates, (whoops, that was my job), I looked over at my aunt in the kitchen and watched her. Aunt Jenna was on the phone to...

Actually, I didn't know who she is on the phone to.

"Hey, guys, do we even know how she's talking to?" I asked my twin and history teacher. I even made the special effort of keeping my voice down. Just in case Jenna heard. She didn't approve of us being nosey like that.

"No, we don't," Ric frowned in thought as he tried to remember if Jenna had given a name. "But I'm sure that it's fine."

"It'd better be fine," I mumbled into my cola as I watched my aunt though narrowed eyes.

"Everything go ok today?"

Just as I was about to answer Ric's question with an 'end result was ok, getting there was crap', Elena piped up, "There were a few hiccups, but yeah."

"A few hiccups?!" I snorted with an eyeroll. "I wouldn't call a v-"

"Alexa, calm down," Alaric suggested as Auntie J started walking in our direction. She had a slightly blissful look on her face as she spoke to her mysterious caller. I did as suggested, but that didn't stop me from muttering 'a few hiccups' a couple more times.

"Of course, I understand," she spoke into the phone before passing it over to me, "Alexa, it's for you."

I stared at the phone for a few seconds. Who the hell would be calling me? Well, calling me on my home phone. No one called me on the home phone. Like ever. I glanced at Elena and Ric before cautiously lifting the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered slowly, an unwelcome feeling consuming me. "May I be so bold as to enquire who this is?"

"Hello, Alexa."

At the sound of Katherine's voice, I let out a low growl and my grip on the phone tightened. I felt a spike of fear go through me but I let my anger take over. I refused to be afraid of her anymore. I wouldn't give her that power over me.

"Hello bitch," I bit out through gritted teeth, ignoring the questioning looks that Ric and Elena were sending my way as Jenna stood blissfully at the side, a blank look on her face.

"You dare to speak to me in that way?"

"After what you did to me, yes, I do goddamn dare."

"You're so brave, talking to me like that when we're not face to face."

"Well, I would say something about your ugly mug putting me off, but considering exactly who you look like, I'll go with: it's because I don't have to be around your repugnant personality. Or your horrific smell."

"You have such a way with words. But tell me, did your precious twin sister enjoy her little rendezvous with Stefan this morning?"

I looked at Elena, eyes wide as the unwelcome feeling turned heavy, threatening to swallow me whole.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I stuttered out, aiming for casual and failing miserably. Even I could tell that I was lying.

"I will always know, Alexa. I will always be one step ahead of the two of you. When are you gonna figure that out? Do you know how easy it was to get inside your house?" I swallowed hard. A sick feeling in my stomach. "To replace Aunt Jenna's perfume, to convince her to stop drinking her special tea?"

I switched my gaze my twin to my aunt. The blank look was slowly fading, being replaced by confusion as she glanced at the time.

"What did you do?" I breathed, holding up my hand to prevent Ric and Elena from asking any questions. I needed answers and I couldn't let them stop me from getting them.

"Jenna's been my little spy for days now."

"No."

"If the circumstances had been right, it would have been you. But then again, unlike you, Jenna actually listens to me. So when I asked for the perfect punishment, she gave it to me, with no hesitations."

"What does that mean?" I could feel my legs shaking beneath me as Jenna glanced towards the back doors with a horrified look.

I could hear the viciousness in Katherine's voice as she sneered, "Why don't you check your back porch?"

I knew in that instant that she had won. I didn't know what I would find, but I knew that it was her trump card. I was barely aware of dropping the phone as I raced to the back doors. The shouts of the others echoed behind me, as did the sound of Jenna's gasp. But I didn't let them stop me.

I burst through the door, looking around, before freezing in place at what I saw.

XXX

Ric's POV

I had never heard a scream like it.

It was so raw and painful that it gave speed to my legs. I burst through the door Alexa had ran through not a few seconds before, closely followed by Jenna and Elena. The first thing I saw was Alexa on her knees, hyperventilating and choking on her sobs. Then I saw what was in front of her.

My legs threatened to give out from underneath me as I registered what it was that I saw. But I knew that I had to be strong. Elena's cry and Jenna's sob had me taking charge of the situation, despite the grief that I felt.

I slowly stepped forward before kneeling down next to the sobbing girl. My eyes burned with tears as I looked down at Alexa as she cradled Jeremy's body. It was Katherine's punishment for Elena. She had killed their brother. I saw the ring on the boy's hand glisten in the lamplight, but I didn't know if he had been wearing it when he was killed.

A thud behind me had me turning. Elena had collapsed to her knees, hands covering her mouth, as she stared at her brother's body. I could feel Jenna come up next to me. She crouched down behind her niece and wrapped her arms around her. Alexa's sobs echoed in the silence between us. But now, we could hear the words mixed in.

"Jeremy no, you shouldn't have to go there to, you shouldn't have to feel this pain. Jeremy just wake up. Please wake up. Come back to me, please. You were never supposed to die too. Please wake up. Please, please, please."

I exchanged a look with Jenna at Alexa's words and the meaning behind them. I could see the realisation on her face as Alexa's words sunk in. Alexa had died too. She had suffered this and we didn't know. Neither of us knew that the girl had been killed, just like Jeremy had been. Swallowing hard, Jenna shifted Alexa around so she could curl up against her chest. She pressed the girl's head against her chest, as though reassuring herself that she was still alive. Alexa's words had pierced Jenna's heart and I knew that she would seek answers later. As soon as Jeremy woke up, because he had to wake up.

As she brushed the girl's hair from her face, Alexa's eyes glanced up to meet mine. The pain in those green depths had my breath catching in my throat. It was as though she had been broken by this, by finding her brother's body. I knew the siblings were close, the way they teased each other showed the bond they shared. And the way Alexa reacted after Damon threatened to kill Jeremy showed just how important her brother was to her. To see him dead now, must be destroying the girl.

I could see Jenna's face as she pulled Alexa closer. The utter devastation there was heart-breaking, but my beautiful Jenna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was clear that she felt as though she needed to be strong for her remaining charges. Even if she, too, wanted to break down.

Alexa continued to mutter and sob into Jenna's top, soaking through the thin fabric, as I began to hear Elena cry behind me. The shock must have begun to wear off and realisation sink in. Glancing over at Jenna, I sighed, we couldn't stay out here, not where someone could see.

As I pulled out my phone, I could hear Jenna murmuring into Alexa's hair, trying to get her to breath. The girl was having a panic attack. Jenna had said that she used to have them as a child, before she outgrew them. The shock of finding Jeremy must have thrown her into one. We definitely needed backup and we needed it now.

I selected the number and quickly pressed the phone to my ear. It rang a few times before it was answered.

"What?" Damon sighed down the phone, sounding a mix of exhilarated and grumpy.

"Jeremy's dead," I answered simply, seeing the way Jenna flinched out of the corner of my eye. "We need you here."

I heard a strangled gasp down the phone before it was hung up. And I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Salvatore brothers arrived. I knew that they would have to help me carry in Jeremy's body. The kid wasn't small and he had started to build up some muscle recently.

So while we waited, I approached Elena. The doppelganger was crying silently, mouthing two words, over and over. I knew why she was apologising. Katherine had done this as a way to punish her. Her and Stefan. It wasn't her fault, not really. But nothing I said right now would convince her of that.

I crouched down and helped Elena to her feet, while Jenna did the same for Alexa. The cold wind of a spring evening whistled around us. I knew that it would be better for them to wait inside. The Salvatore's could bring Jeremy's body inside, where it wouldn't be seen by anyone. And the girls needed to be kept warm.

I got Elena as far as the kitchen before she dug her heels in. Apparently she didn't want to get too far away from her brother. Knowing that she would move once Jeremy's body was brought in, I didn't fight her. Elena perched herself on a chair while I went out to check on Jenna's progress with Alexa.

I found her still in Jenna's embrace, but they were no longer alone.

The Salvatore's had arrived. Damon was by Alexa's side, checking in on her, a hand resting on her back as he whispered something to Jenna. Stefan stood by the edge of the porch, a mixture of grief and guilt on his face.

I hated being the strong one here, I wished more than anything that I could break too. That I could comfort Jenna and the girls while being comforted myself. But I knew that I had to prod the Salvatore's into action. Damon wouldn't leave Alexa's side unless it was to help move the body. And Stefan was still in shock over the sight. I knew he felt the same guilt as Elena did and it was powerful enough to freeze him in place.

I cleared my throat, "We need to get him inside."

Damon glanced over, his eyes like ice, before nodding. He turned back to Alexa and urged her to move inside with Jenna. Alexa did so, like she was moving on autopilot, while Damon approached Jeremy's body.

He nodded over at Stefan before lifting up Jeremy's body. I held the porch doors open as Stefan helped to carry Jeremy. He supported his legs, making sure they didn't knock into the door. The brothers carried him over to the sofa before Damon gently placed him down.

The second his arms were free, Damon approached Alexa. The girl was still sobbing slightly, her breath still hitching as she recovered from her panic attack. The moment he was within arm's length, Alexa released Jenna and leapt forward. Damon instantly caught her and pulled her close. While Alexa buried herself against Damon's chest, Jenna approached me. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. Now that her nieces were being taken care of, Jenna could allow herself to be weak. And I would be her strength while she did so.

I noticed Stefan disappear back into the kitchen, where Elena still sat, and sighed. I recognised the look on his face. He knew that it was over, between him and Elena, even though he wished beyond anything that it wasn't. But Katherine had killed her brother, because Elena refused to give Stefan up. And while we all wished that the ring would bring him back, we had no guarantee that he was wearing it when he did. Katherine could have put it back on him, just to give us hope.

The two whispered in the kitchen while I got Jenna settled on the sofa, my arms still around her. Damon still stood in the middle of the room, supporting most of Alexa's weight. She shook in his arms, her own clutching his jacket like her life depended on it. Every time her breath hitched, Damon gently hushed her, stroking her back. It was more than her brother dying. I had been killed and brought back by the Gilbert ring. She was still suffering from its effects, from dying. And now the poor girl was dealing with that was well as her brother's death.

I was soon distracted from the sight of Jeremy's body by Elena appearing in the room. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes red-rimmed. But she kept her back straight as she approached her brother's body and sat down on the floor next to it. The girl rested her cheek against the sofa cushions as she grabbed her brother's hand and clutched it to her chest.

Silence took over the room.

Stefan stood in the doorway; evidence of his own crying clear on his face. Jenna had finally allowed herself to weep, tears sliding slowly down her face as it sunk in that her nephew was dead. Damon had carefully sat down, easing Alexa into his lap as she refused to relinquish her grip on him. Grief was visible on his face, much to my surprise. I knew that Damon was reluctantly fond of the kid, but for him to show his grief, it indicated that the two had formed a bond closer than anyone had expected.

It was Jenna that broke the silence, her voice hoarse, "How long until he wakes up?"

I exchanged a look with Damon, neither of us knew. We could only guess that it would be around the same amount of time that I was dead for. But none of us knew. And that was the worst part. We wouldn't know for quite some time whether Jeremy would return to us.

"It could be some time yet," Stefan was the one who answered, his voice soft and empty. "Probably a couple more hours."

Jenna nodded into my side as we settled in for the long haul.

During that time, the only sounds were Alexa's sobs and the hitch in Elena's breathing. Damon had taken to murmuring words into Alexa's hair, none of us could hear what he said but it helped to soothe the girl and prevent the imminent breakdown. Jenna had taken my hand and refused to let go. I could feel it trembling in my grip but her face remained strong. You could see the grief in her eyes but she stayed strong for her nieces. Stefan remained in the doorway. It was clear that he wanted to come closer, to comfort Elena as his brother was Alexa. But Elena had ended their relationship. And she would not accept his touch, not now. So she remained by her brother's side, occasionally brushing the hair from his face.

It was a shock to us all when Jeremy finally gasped back to life. Elena jolted back in shock as Alexa threw herself forward. She sobbed out the kid's name as she pulled him into her arms. Elena quickly joined them, sitting behind her brother as she drew both her siblings into her arms.

Jenna relaxed into my side as Damon stepped forward. He gently took Jeremy's chin in hand and titled his face up. Damon's sharp eyes examined the kid's face, titling his head from side to side. Eventually he sighed and step back, releasing Jeremy's chin.

"He's fine," he confirmed, to the relief of all. "The ring brought him back, not vampire blood."

It wasn't even a worry until Damon mentioned it. After she turned Caroline, it wouldn't be beyond belief for her to do the same to Jeremy. But we knew that it didn't happen so there was no point in worrying over it.

Jenna pressed a kiss to my cheek before she left my side. She joined her charges on the sofa, wrapping her arms around them all. I sat back and watched, making sure that they were all safe.

XXX

Alexa's POV

It wasn't until later that I allowed myself to truly break.

I had retreated back to my bed. I would join my siblings soon, but I needed this time alone. Well, I say alone…

Damon was sat next to me, allowing me to curl myself around him. He had barely left my side since he got here earlier. And I loved him so much for it. I could not have gotten through this without him.

Not only had my brother died, had I been forced to look at his dead body, but it had reminded me so strongly of when I died. I had thought that I was recovering from it. But apparently not. My heart still pounded as I thought about it. Just the thought of seeing Jeremy laying there made me feel sick.

Damon had apologised when he joined me in my bedroom, after we had settled Jeremy into bed.

"I was the one who riled Katherine up," my vampire had whispered in my ear, remorse clear in his voice. "I... I wasn't thinking. I didn't think."

"It's not your fault. How were you supposed to know that she would react that way? How was anyone supposed to know?"

"I should have known."

"Damon, she was in my house. She had spent time in my house. And I didn't even notice," I choked on my tears. "How did I not notice? Maybe if I had, maybe if I had noticed that Aunt Jenna wasn't wearing her vervain anymore, then this would never have happened. Jeremy wouldn't have had to suffer this."

"Hey, you can't blame yourself. Blame Katherine. She started all of this."

"And she'll pay for it."

As silence fell, we just laid there.

In each other's arms.

Seeking comfort from the other.

XXX

A/N: OMG please don't hate me too much for this! I felt mean writing it but it just felt like the way it was going! Thank you for the reviews darlings, keep them coming! I definitely love reading them, especially after shocking chapters like this one! Until next time, enjoy xoxo