Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This one has a scene that you've all been waiting for ;) I really enjoyed writing this one. We get to see some more of how Alexa is dealing (or not dealing) with the situation and we have some lovely bonding time :) For me, this episode was more a break from the drama for Alexa, for the most part. It gives her a moment to be introspective.

XXX

Despite there being a general lack of vampire drama, the last five days had been anything but peaceful. My time had been spent either looking after Bonnie, who had had her magic stolen by Dr Martin, or I had been helping with the search for the mystical witch massacre site. This was on top of being forced to deal with my trauma by my very annoying family. They had started hiding the coffee in the evenings, meaning that I wasn't able to dose up on the caffeine goodness and avoid sleep. I couldn't even indulge at the Boarding House as Elena had been dragging me home every evening.

The cherry on top of the situation was the fact that I had found out that Katherine was out of the tomb. She had corned me on my morning job a couple of days after we took out Elijah, scaring the absolute shit out of me. Despite the fact that I had risked life and limb to dagger the Original vampire, Katherine was lacking in gratitude. She made some vague threats, telling me not to tell anyone that she was free, and ordered me to start searching for a way to kill Klaus. Like I wasn't already doing that.

All in all, the fact that I hadn't fallen off the wagon and drank myself into a coma was an absolute fucking miracle. It was only through sheer force of will that I hadn't cracked into one of the numerous bottles in my room. But that will was fading fast and I didn't know how long I would be able to be strong for.

But luckily for me, my twin must have sensed my need for a distraction as she finally allowed me to have a sleepover at the Boarding House. Of course, there were definitely ulterior motives behind her decision. It had been a while since she had had a sleepover with her boyfriend. And since Ellie was reluctant to break Jenna's no sleepovers rule, my twin hadn't had a night with her beau since she got back from the lake house.

I set up camp in Damon's bed and slept like a baby. Just the smell of him on the pillow was enough to relax me. Now, I know what you're thinking, since we aren't actually dating, why should I share a bed with him? And I wouldn't blame you for judging me. But I loved him. And until I worked up the courage to actually confess my feelings, I would make myself feel better by being around him. And besides, Damon had a habit of just transferring me to his bed anyway. He then gave me a lecture about not asking for help with my nightmares afterwards. So I decided to just skip the drama and go straight to sharing the bed.

But there was one downside.

Since Damon tended to be an early riser, especially when he had a plan to carry out, it meant that I was woken up ridiculously early. And despite my grumbling, the mean vampire wouldn't let me lay around and risk being late for school. So I was forced to get ready a lot earlier than I was happy with.

But while I waited in the parlour for my sister and Stefan to get their asses into gear and get downstairs, Damon let me have a cup of the good coffee. I curled up on the sofa next to him while he flicked through one of the Gilbert journals. Stefan and Ric had gone on a quick trip to bring them all back from the lake house.

As I yawned for the second time, I saw Damon roll his eyes, "You had a nightmare free sleep last night, why do you keep yawning?"

I gave him a dirty look, "Because some decided to wake up with the sun and disturb my sleep."

The look my vampire gave me was on the annoying side of cheeky, "Just think about how much extra stuff that you've gotten done this morning."

"Just because I was able to have a hot breakfast is not a reason to get up early."

Damon was about to give a snarky reply back when he caught sight of movement behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned around, about to give my sister a piece of my mind. But the problem was, it wasn't my sister who standing there.

"Good morning, Damon," Katherine smiled, looking so much more like my sister than normal. Her hair had been straightened and her clothing choices could have come from my twin's wardrobe. It was only because I knew my twin better than anyone that I recognised it was Katherine. Despite the sweet expression on her face, I could see the differences. The slight hint of malice in her eyes and the way her hip jutted out to the side slightly.

Damon nodded and returned to the journal that he was ready. I continued staring at the bitch, giving her a challenging look. From the way she rolled her eyes, I assumed that Katherine realised that I hadn't fallen for her tricks. She had done well; I would give her that. It had certainly fooled Damon. Or so we thought.

We were all surprised when Damon sped forward and slammed Katherine against the wall, his hand wrapped tightly around her throat. I sat there calmly while Katherine faked a panicked look and started to struggle.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed at her angrily. "I told you to move."

That caught my interest. Did Damon also know that she had been released from the tomb? Huh, we were both keeping it a secret. Probably exactly like Katherine wanted. She had a habit of having several plans on the go at any one time.

"What is your problem?" the fake Elena choked out, still pretending to struggle.

Damon scoffed, still not realising that I hadn't tried to interfere, "You're wearing her clothes? Like that's going to work."

The fact that he hadn't noted my lack of intervention was kind of hilarious. I was normally so loud if someone threatened my sister, especially if they did it in the way that Katherine was threatening Katherine. Who, to her credit, played her part perfectly. It was actually really worrying. We would have to prep our friends carefully to make sure that she didn't trick anyone else.

"You think I'm Katherine?" the fake Elena gasped out, looking eerily terrified. "Why would you think that? Katherine's in the tomb! Isn't she?"

Apparently, this had been enough to convince Damon as he released his grip on her neck and stepped back. It was then that the other Salvatore arrived on the scene. He looked between them, not seeing me on the sofa, and asked, "What the hell's going on here?"

While the brother's exchanged looks, Katherine shot me a smug one. I rolled my eyes, less than impressed at her theatrics.

"I don't know, you tell me," Katherine asked when it became clear that Damon wouldn't. She even used the same facial expressions that my sister would. "Is Katherine in the tomb or not?"

We all watched as a horrified look appeared on Stefan's face as the words sank in. He turned on his heel and sped back up the stairs. It was then that Damon noticed that I was still calmly sat on the sofa, coffee in hand, watching The Katherine Show with a casual expression. He took a step towards me, a calculating look on his face before he spun to face the doppelganger behind him.

"Katherine?" he confirmed, raising an eyebrow.

I answered for her, "Yep. The bitch is getting craftier."

Katherine shot me a disgusted look, prompting Damon to move so that he was blocking her view of me. There was a tense moment as Bitcherine contemplated taking the challenge and going for me. But she clearly thought that it wasn't worth the effort and she sniffed impatiently before turning to follow Stefan. I rolled my eyes at Katherine's transparency and pulled out my phone, shooting off a quick text to my twin, 'heads up, bitch incoming'.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and glanced up to see Damon standing in front of me, his arms crossed and an unhappy look on his face.

"So, how long have you known that Katherine wasn't in the tomb?" I asked, feeling remarkably calm. I didn't know how I felt so calm, I had just seen one of the vampires that murdered me. And I had found out that Damon had kept her freedom a secret from me. But I suppose, I had kept it from him too. Maybe it was everything getting to me, I was becoming numb to it all.

"How long have you known?" the vampire shot back, a slight accusatory edge to his voice.

I shrugged and finished my coffee, "A couple of days? She decided to give me a heart attack while I was out jogging."

"And you didn't think to tell anyone?"

I winced guiltily, "Yeah that was my bad. But she did threaten me into keeping my silence. It wasn't like I wasn't expecting it anyway."

"You knew that she would be free?"

That question was my doom. Because I was so stupid, I answered without thinking, "Well, since she had told me that daggering Elijah would free her from his compulsion, I knew that it would only be a matter of time until she made an appearance."

The moment I finished speaking, silence descended. I thought back on what I had just said and cursed viciously in my head. Why was I so stupid? Why didn't I think before I spoke?

There was a dangerous edge to Damon's voice that thrilled me in a way that it probably should have, "What do you mean by she told you?"

My mind whirred for a suitable answer. But the traitorous thing betrayed me by coming up blank. I had no idea as to what I would say to that. I couldn't risk revealing the deal that I had made. He would lock me up in the basement cell to keep me out of trouble. It was something that he had threatened before and gained my sister's approval to do. I had hoped that they were joking but a small part of me thought that it was a possibility.

Luckily, I was saved by my twin's appearance at the top of the stairs.

She stared down at Stefan, an unimpressed look on her face, "Why is Katherine upstairs?"

XXX

It didn't take long for Stefan and Katherine to follow her downstairs. In which time, Elena had taken up a protective position next to me, refusing to let her doppelganger anywhere near me. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was feeling completely numb to Katherine's presence. For one thing, I didn't know how long it would last form. And for another, I appreciated her protectiveness. It would be amusing to watch my twin attack the bitch. And I knew that if Ellie was given the slightest provocation, she would do so. My twin could be as irrational as me if provoked. And after her whole suicidal phase (or what I hoped was just a phase and that she didn't still plan on doing it), I kind of needed that. It's probably selfish to say, but I guess I was entitled to be a little bit selfish.

Once the vampires in the house were scattered around the parlour, Elena stared hard at the Salvatore's and enunciated very clearly, "What is she doing here?"

It was well known fact that when my sister started enunciating slowly, you should duck and cover. It meant that she was pissed and barely holding onto her anger. It wasn't often that she got to that stage. But I guess Katherine's sudden reappearance triggered it.

The brother's exchanged glances before Damon sighed, "When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion and freed the bitch from the tomb."

I was silently grateful that Damon left out the fact that I also knew that she would be freed. I knew that he would continue the interrogation at a later date, but for now, I was in the clear. And that meant that I had time to think of a reasonable excuse as to why Katherine told me the truth about the dagger.

Stefan frowned as he considered the mechanics behind it all, "How's that possible?"

It was Katherine who answered that one. She had been wandering around the room, playing with the various knick knacks that were scattered around, "He's an Original. They have all sorts of special skills."

As she wandered a bit too close for Elena's liking, my sister pushed me back slightly and stepped in front of me. The look that she shot Katherine was pure venom, "I don't want you here." She swung her gaze to the Salvatore's, "Get her out of here."

Before either of the brother's could even breath, Katherine was scoffing and rolling her eyes, "You need me, Elena. You all do."

"Like hell," Stefan retorted, surprising me with how quickly he reacted. I would have thought that he would be rational about it and accept her help, since we needed all the help that we could get. But I suppose he didn't trust her, like at all. Not that I trusted her either. But I was desperate at the time. And I was still desperate.

Bitcherine sighed, sounding frustrated for the first time, "We all want the same thing: Klaus dead. Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads up off."

In a touching move of sisterly solidarity, Elena grabbed my hand and squeezed it before glaring at the bitch in front of us, "After what you did to my sister, I don't need your help and I don't want it."

And in a move that surprised no one, Katherine scoffed and rolled her eyes, "And that's incredibly stupid of you. Do you know where Klaus is? When he's coming? What he looks like?"

And that was why I made the deal with Katherine. She had seen Klaus; she knew what he looked like and how he behaved. That knowledge was vital to keeping my twin alive and unsacrificed. I needed what Katherine knew. And so did Elena, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Before Ellie could bite Katherine's head off, Damon spoke up for the first time, sounding frustrated and annoyed, "If you know something, say it or get out."

The bitch narrowed her eyes and shrugged, putting on an uncaring air, "Fine. Then I'll just go to the Grill and have some lunch… maybe Aunt Jenna's free for a bite."

"Don't you fucking dare," I hissed, taking a step forward. I lost all composure at her casual threat towards Jenna. She had already killed me brother and now she was threatening my aunt. I was prevented from stalking towards the vampire by the arm Elena held out. So I used my words instead, my anger overriding my fear, "If you want us to accept your help, then you are going the wrong way about it. Actions are louder than words and if you want us to trust that you are telling the truth, then fucking prove it. And threatening Jenna is not the way to do that."

I was prevented from saying anything more by a gentle hand on my shoulder. Katherine's face had contorted in anger and the rational part of my brain was screaming for me to run. That she would attack and kill me again.

"What's the matter, Alexa?" Katherine taunted viciously, taking a step forward. "Jealous? I can always rip your throat out instead. Like darling Rose did."

"Just try it!" I fought against Stefan's grip. "Come and see what happens. I ain't scared of you, you fake little bitch!"

Katherine would have taken my challenge if Damon hadn't have appeared in between us. He held his hand out, gesturing for me to calm down, "This is not helping anyone. Stefan, get the twins to school. I'll handle Katherine."

I hadn't taken my gaze off of the evil doppelganger, anger clouding all rationality. I had wanted to rip a chunk out of her ever since she killed my brother. And despite the fact that she killed me and would probably do so again, I refused to give up that opportunity. Just because I had made a deal with her and needed her, didn't mean that I wouldn't make her hurt for everything that she had done to my family.

XXX

My twin and her boyfriend had quickly bundled me into Stefan's little car after it became clear that I would not back down from my anger. As Stefan drove us closer to school, I realised just how stupid I had been. Once again, I had acted without thinking. My emotions had taken over, this time it was my anger, and I had done something stupid. Even with the Salvatore brothers there, Katherine could have killed me. And if she didn't need me to do her dirty work, then she might have done.

In the front, Elena and Stefan talked about the bitch who had just threatened to kill me. Again.

"Why is she still here?" my sister sighed in aggravation. "She was free."

Stefan had decided to take a more reasonable approach to the situation, because let's be real, someone needed to.

"She wants what we want: Klaus dead," the vampire said, making an effort to keep his tone calm and neutral. "Maybe she sees us as her only chance."

I knew my sister well enough to know that she didn't appreciate the reasonable approach, "Or maybe she's trying to lure you and Damon back into her web. I want her gone."

Stefan instantly agreed, "So do I. But you're right, she stayed. Shouldn't we at least try to figure out why?"

"How?" my sister scoffed, shaking her head. "All she does is lie."

"Maybe she stuck around so that she could keep Ellie save until she was able to serve her up to Klaus on a silver platter," I added, deciding that being unhelpful was the way to go.

It was Stefan's turn to sigh, "Look, I hate it as much as you two do, but she does make a point. We don't know anything about Klaus. She does."

Even my stubborn sister had to concede that point, "Right but that doesn't mean that I want her shacking up with you."

My sister's boyfriend reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, "Maybe we should stay at your place tonight."

Ellie stared over at him lovingly as I muttered, "Ew, gross."

I saw Stefan roll his eyes at me in the mirror as Ellie laughed, "Hmm, I can't. I told Bonnie and Caroline that they could come over. Bonnie's freaked out because she lost her powers and Caroline's having Matt drama again. It's kind of a girl's night." Elena paused before huffing, "Maybe Katherine could join us."

"In her dreams," I rolled my eyes, picking at my chipped nail polish. My plan was to get it into such a horrible state that Caroline would immediately demand to redo it for me. It had worked before and it would definitely work again. "The only way that Katherine would be allowed to attend would be if we were able to practice our darts on her."

"So you're in one of those moods this morning," Elena glanced back at me with an amused look. To which I rolled my eyes. I knew that she was referring to all of the violent mutterings towards Katherine. It had taken me quite some time to stop once I had been escorted from the house.

"Damn straight," I nodded, reaching forward to tap her nose. "And you get to enjoy it all as you're not allowed to leave my side again."

"Alexa, that's not realistic," Ellie protested, but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. It was the same discussion that we had had several times this week. "We don't have all our classes together."

"Yeah, but I've got people in those other classes to keep an eye on you for me," I countered, looking smug as my twin opened her mouth before pausing.

"How did you manage that?" she asked, exchanging a look with Stefan. "And who are they?"

"Not telling," I sing-songed, going back to examining my nails. "As to the how, they owed me favours and I finally cashed them in."

That was kind of the truth. The people that I had asked for help were friends and I had helped them out in the past. So they were more than happy to help me out. And they didn't ask any questions as to why. Once you got in with those from the druggie club, they did you solids without asking.

Elena spent the rest of the journey trying to get the names out of me. Of course, she was unsuccessful. I had had years of experience tuning her out. And if there was one thing that I was good it, it was annoying my sister in return. With every question she asked, I found a way to turn it around. And she couldn't even avoid some of the questions, especially when they were girl's night related.

I could see it starting to wind her up when she turned to Stefan for backup. Little did she know that Stefan was one of my secret spies. I knew that he would do anything to look after her. And there was the added bonus that he already knew all of the information that was being taught, so he could focus on my sister. So it was amusing as Stefan reluctantly played along to Ellie's demands. He asked half-hearted questions, making sure to long it out until we got to school.

Elena tried to prevent me from getting out of the backseat. She turned around with a pout, crossing her arms, "Alexa, just tell me."

"Nope," I shook my head, watching as Stefan climbed out of the front and slowly slid the seat forward. "Soz twin, I ain't giving you the chance to give them the slip."

With that said, I darted forward out of the car, giving Stefan a pat on the shoulder as I went. My quick moves must have caught my twin by surprise as she didn't immediately appear to stop me from running away.

My destination was the same place that it had been all week.

The stoner pit was relatively empty. Apparently it was still too early for the stoners to be out and about. Not that I was complaining, it meant that I could get a good seat on the random sofa that lurked there. It was quite amusing really. Every time the teachers managed to get rid of, a new appeared the next day. I wanted to know who was donating sofas to the druggies of Mystic Falls High.

For the past week, I had spent my time here when I wasn't in class. Of course, the only classes that I actually attended were the ones that I shared with Elena. Which was only history, now that I think about it. For the rest of my lessons, I didn't bother turning up. I just sat here, smoking the odd bit of weed.

Don't judge me for that. It helped to take the edge off of my other cravings. And I desperately needed that. So I smoked just enough weed to take the edge off while making sure that it wasn't too obvious that I was doing so. The last thing that I needed was some kind of intervention. Ellie was still the focus, even if she had agreed to start fighting.

XXX

Once school was done for the day, not that I had actually attended much of it, girl's night officially began. Bonnie drove me and Ellie home while Caroline quickly diverted back to hers. I was supposed to be driving back with her, but the blonde took one look at my nails and nearly killed me. So I was sent to find my sister while Caroline went to get her best manicure kit from home.

In preparation for girl's night, I had made some cookies for everyone. I was going to make dinner too, but the other girl's put up a good argument for why someone else should cook for a change. And by cook, I knew they meant get a chef to it after they ordered it. But I didn't mind too much. When it came to those three, I knew that I would be getting some delicious pizza. And it had been a while since I got some.

While I put the cookies on one our of nicer serving plates, Bonnie and Elena got everything ready to make our own milkshakes. They were incredibly easy to make, so we tried to do it when we had girl's nights.

It didn't take Caroline long to arrive after that, manicure kit in tow. She ordered me to sit down at the dining table while she got to work fixing my nails. And they were in a sorry state. It had been a while since I had properly done my nails. Having a suicidal twin wasn't exactly good for taking time out to pamper yourself.

While Caroline got to work, Bonnie told everyone about the conversation that she and Stefan had had with Luke and Dr Martin. I hadn't told anyone about Dr Martin's involvement in tracking down Elena that night. I mean, they probably assumed that he helped Elijah but I didn't confirm it. Because I knew that Bonnie wanted to help them. Apparently Klaus had their daughter as a hostage or something. And our heart of gold Bennet witch wanted to help the Martin's save her. And I didn't want to give her a reason to hesitate with that desire. Besides, they could be powerful allies in my quest to save my sister.

As Caroline shifted closer, I saw her nose wrinkle and immediately knew what she had smelt. Which was definitely an oh fuck situation. I saw her look at me, eyes wide, and quickly shook my head. I knew that she had smelt the weed that lingered on my clothes.

Luckily, our favourite blonde waited until my twin had left the room before hissing, "Alexa, have you been smoking weed?"

Bonnie looked at me with shocked eyes as I shrugged uncomfortably, "Not enough to get high. Just enough to take the edge of everything."

Neither of them knew how bad my drinking problem had gotten towards the end. No one knew really, not even Elena. But they did know about all of the shit that I had been through recently. So it would be an natural conclusion for them to think that I was trying to deal with all of the trauma that I had been through.

"Are you still having nightmares?" Bon asked quietly as she joined us at the table, bringing over the milkshakes.

"Eh, kind of?" I winced at the look that they exchanged. "They aren't as bad as they used to be. They just… haven't gone."

"What are we talking about?" my sister asked as she re-entered the room, glancing between us all. Her arrival had interrupted whatever it was that Bonnie was about to ask. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to silence the vampire.

"Alexa's nightmares," Caroline declared, giving me a significant look that practically screamed I won't let you hide your issues even if I won't tell your sister that you're smoking weed. I grumbled and settled back in my chair, carefully drinking my milkshake.

"And it's not a conversation that I'm keen to continue," I added, giving my twin my best pleading look.

"Has she told you anything about them?" Elena asked our friends, completely ignoring the looks I was giving her.

"You're kidding, right?" Bonnie laughed and ignored the dirty look that I gave her. "We just about got her to admit that she was still having them."

"It's a natural response for what I went through," I protested as Caroline finished my nails. "And like I said, they aren't as bad as they used to be."

"The fact that you're still having them is enough," Ellie said, immediately going into the protective sister mode. "Bonnie, are you able to get her those herbs again?"

"I don't think Alexa needs help getting herbs," I heard Caroline faintly mutter. I gave her a light kick in the shin at her cheekiness. It was just pure luck that Elena hadn't heard it. The last thing that I wanted was for her to find out about my new habit.

"Yeah, I can get them," Bonnie smiled comfortably. "Just make sure that she actually takes them this time."

"Hey, I took them last time," I protested before pausing. "For the most part." As Bonnie gave me a smug look, I quickly changed the subject, "How about we get some food? Cos I'm starving."

I ignored Caroline's snarky, "I wonder why," and stared hard at my sister. I wanted her to help me move the conversation onto something else. Something in my expression must have persuaded her as she gave a laugh.

"Let's get some food."

"Chinese food or pizza?" Caroline asked, finally taking pity on me. I knew that it wouldn't be the end of the snarky little jabs, but at least it would put them on hold for a bit of time.

"Like you have to ask," Ellie snorted as she poured some chips into a serving bowl. Now that my manicure was done, we quickly retreated back into the kitchen, surrounding the island. I helped myself to a cookie, making sure to be careful of my nails. I knew that if I ruined them so quickly, then Caroline would actually kill me.

"I will get it," the blonde announced, taking the hint as Bonnie made some more milkshakes. I helped by feeding her chips while she controlled the blender.

"I want lots of cheese on my pizza," I demanded as I helped to carry the glasses over. "And extra pepperoni. Oh, and garlic bread. Gots to have me some garlic bread."

Caroline rolled her eyes at me before pulling her tablet out of her bag. She turned on the screen and paused. It took me a moment to understand why she paused but then it hit me. Caroline had always been one of those to personalise her lockscreens and backgrounds. Normally with photos of her friends or boyfriends. So when she saw the photo of her and Matt from the Founder's Day parade, she was understandably upset. I knew that she was having trouble with keeping the secret from him. I had told her that it was okay to tell him. Everyone else knew, so why should Matt be left out? But I knew that she wanted to protect him from all of this. And it was true that once you found out, you tended to get involved in the bullshit that followed.

Bonnie reached over and gently tugged the tablet from Caroline's hands, "I'll do it."

While our witchy friend inputted the order, Ellie asked, "Do you believe that Jonas is being sincere?"

Bon sighed, considering her words carefully, "I don't know what to believe. I think he's at a loss. He's not sure who to trust."

This caused my sister to mutter bitterly, "Join the club."

"You can trust us, dumb dumb," I tutted, gently rapping my knuckles against her forehead. My twin rolled her eyes and pushed my hand away, but I could see a smile tugging at her lips.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Well, what are we going to do about this movie situation?" Caroline asked, interrupting the moment, having eaten her sorrow in the form of five cookies. "What about 'The Notebook'?"

I let out a loud groan as Ellie laughed, "Caroline, how many times have you seen that movie?"

"That is so not the point," the blonde protested, crossing her arms with a pout.

"I was promised 'High School Musical'," I said loudly, talking over Caroline's mutterings about how you can't watch The Notebook too many times."

"Alexa, we aren't watching High School Musical," Bonnie rolled her eyes at me.

"But Bonnie, it's got Zach Efron!" I emphasised the name. "Zefron! Who doesn't love Zefron?!"

"Oh good lord."

We all turned to the doorway as a new voice joined the conversation.

Jenna stood in the doorway, looking like she was tempted to just turn back around. I smiled brightly at my aunt and waved her in.

"Hey Jenna," Elena smiled as Jenna cautiously approached the island.

"What's going on?" our aunt asked, grabbing a handful of chips. "And why is Alexa yelling about Zefron?"

I gave a casual shrug, "Girl's night."

"Ah, that explains it," Jenna laughed, taking a seat next to us and stealing a sip of my milkshake. "Please tell me that you aren't actually going to let the menace get her way."

"Definitely not," Bonnie laughed and I pouted dramatically. No one appreciated my love for Zach Efron. And no one would watch the High School Musical movies with me. It was only if I got someone drunk that they would agree to it. Which was so not fair.

"I hate you all," I declared in a sulk, drowning my feelings in my milkshake.

"Love you too, Lexa," Jenna laughed, reaching out to mess up my hair. I just ignored it, refusing to give the meanies the satisfaction. "So what are you going to watch?"

"Don't know yet," Ellie shrugged. "Pizza is on it's way so we still have time to decide."

"Just nothing that could make Caroline cry," Bon suggested with a cheeky smile.

Care just rolled her eyes, "I don't cry that easily."

I coughed to cover my words, "Yes you do."

The vampire glared at me. But before she could open her mouth, Jenna spoke up, "You still have trouble with Matt?"

Caroline instantly looked sad, "It's just so hard, not being able to tell him. I want to so bad but I also want to protect him from all of this."

"Maybe the best way to protect him, is to tell him," Jenna countered with a soft look. "I know that I've been able to look after myself better since I found out. And it's only strengthened my relationship with Ric."

The blonde paused to consider my aunt's words. It was easier to hear it from Jenna. She found out by accident and was never supposed to be involved in any of this. But I would never regret her finding out. Having my aunt's support had been invaluable. And like she said, it made it easier to protect her.

A determined look formed on the vampire's face, "Forget the movie. You know what we need? Dancing. There is a band at the Grill."

The rest of us exchanged glances before Bonnie shrugged, "I'm in."

"As am I," Ellie added, quickly followed by Jenna.

"I'm in as long as I get my pizza first."

Caroline rolled her eyes but accepted my condition.

XXX

The band was in full swing by the time we arrived. The noise reminded me of the days when I went clubbing with Damon. I missed those days. They were so easy.

We pushed our way through the crowd, Caroline in the lead. We paused in front of the stage by the booths. We had a good view of the band while also being close enough to the bar. It was a dangerous spot as my longing for booze suddenly tripled in size. But I suppose that I was lucky. With Jenna and Elena there, I wouldn't dare go for it.

"I'm going to go get a drink," my aunt quickly announced, her eyes fixed on the bar. I followed her gaze and saw Ric. Rolling my eyes, I gave her a nudge.

"Don't forget about us," I yelled over the music, wiggling my eyebrows at her. Jenna rolled her eyes and messed up my hair again before abandoning us for the bar.

In an attempt to distract myself, I stepped up behind my twin and wrapped my arms around her waist. I rested my chin on her shoulder and blew in her ear. Ellie reached back to poke my stomach in retaliation but she didn't try to move away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt approaching us, looking like he was in the middle of his shift. He quickly drew Caroline's attention and she smiled shyly, "Hey Matt."

In a savage move, Matt just walked past her, completely ignoring her greeting. Care's face fell and she looked devastated. I had to look away, feeling bad for the blonde.

Unfortunately for Bonnie, she was stuck in the middle of us and shifted in her place, "Things just got real awkward."

"Damn straight," I muttered into my twin's ear. She patted my hand in agreement as she gave Caroline a sympathetic look.

"I can't believe he just ignored me like that," the blonde whispered, I could only just hear her over the music.

Bonnie, ever the reasonable one, spoke up, "He said the ball's in your court."

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it," Caroline protested immediately.

"Why not?" Bon pushed, looking determined now. "All you do is talk about how much you care about him."

This caused the blonde to sigh, "Yeah, but I'm still keeping so many secrets."

Elena, who had been staring at Jenna and Ric by the bar, chose that moment to speak, "I've been thinking about it. Maybe we're making a mistake by keeping him out of it, because it isn't just you. We're trying to protect the people that we love but, in the end, we're hurting them anyway. I know that if circumstances were different, I would have tried to keep Jenna out of it, but that would have been a mistake. Maybe it's time to tell Matt the truth."

The band finished their song as Caroline stared up at them with a look of deep consideration. Something must have occurred to her as she nodded to herself and started stripping. Well, she just took her jacket off and passed it over to my sister before walking forward. Ellie folded it over her arm as she asked, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

We watched as the vampire pushed her way through the crowd and up onto the stage.

"What is she up to?" I mused, wondering if our friend had finally lost her mind.

"I have no idea," my sister answered, frowning in thought.

"Hey, everybody," our friend spoke into the microphone, taking it off the stand. "Let's hear it for the band! Weren't they awesome?"

She started clapping, prompting the crowd to start too, adding in some cheering too. Jenna approached us, Ric tagging along too, tequila shots in hand.

"This isn't going to end well," our aunt mused, downing the shot in her hand, which was quickly replaced with the one in Ric's.

"So, there's this guy," Caroline started breathlessly, her gaze fixed upon Matt. "And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him. Like it's so easy. Um, you know, just cos I talk a lot doesn't mean I always know what I'm actually talking about. Ah, like now, I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself."

The singer from the band decided that it was time to intervene, reaching out to take the microphone. But Caroline dodged away, looking slightly desperate, "I can sing. Yeah! Yeah. You know what, I'm going to sing."

Bonnie, Jenna and Elena all looked baffled at her sudden declaration. But I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Normally, Caroline only sang once you got a good amount of alcohol in her. The fact that she was going to sing to impress Matt was just gold.

We could see the singer say something to Caroline, clearly trying to get the crazy girl off of his stage. But once the blonde had made up her mind, nothing was going to change it. Especially when it came to Matt. Either he didn't put up much of a fight or, more likely, Caroline compelled him, as the singer was quickly saying something to his hand.

The start of Eternal Flame started playing and I grinned in anticipation. It was one of Caroline's favourite songs and she knew the words by heart. What was even better, was that I got to hear her amazing singing voice. Care had always been a great singer but she lacked the confidence to show it off.

So I proudly watched as she sung her heart out, her gaze fixed on Matt.

"She's good!" Jenna said to us, admiring the girl on stage.

"Yeah!" Ellie agreed as I pulled Bonnie closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and tucked her into my side.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ric wrap his arm around Jenna's waist and pull her close. I was so happy that the two were happy. They deserved to be. And on a more selfish note, I would much rather have Ric as an uncle than John.

As Caroline let lose the power in her voice, I felt my sister nod. Frowning, I followed her gaze to see Matt pushing his way through the crowd, a determined look on his face. It didn't take him long to appear on stage. The blonde looked nervous, but not for long.

Matt cupped her face and kissed her passionately.

The crowd screamed in delight while we cheered out friends on. The smiles on their faces warmed my heart. It was so lovely to see them happy again.

XXX

Things had calmed down after that.

Matt and Caroline had quickly disappeared while the band continued their set. Jenna and Ric had also done a disappearing act, although I did think that I saw them up by the bar at one point. After we had been abandoned by two of our group; Elena, Bonnie and I found ourselves a booth to enjoy the rest of the night in.

Ellie left us at one point, needing to go to the bathroom. I watched her through the crowd, suddenly feeling anxious at the thought of her being out of my eyeline.

"She'll be fine," Bonnie rolled her eyes, guessing where my thoughts had gone.

"I know," I sighed, playing with my glass. "But every time she leaves my sight, something stupid happens.

"I'm sure she could say the same thing about you," the witch gave me a stern look but I could see the amusement in her eyes.

I brushed that off, "Pfft, I have absolutely no idea as to what you are talking about."

"Sure you don't," Bon laughed, giving me a shove. So, naturally, I shoved her back. Before it could escalate, Elena returned and amused look on her face.

After giving me one last shove, Bonnie went to stand up, "I need the bathroom."

"I wouldn't if I were you," my sister shook her head. "Caroline and Matt are…"

"In the bathroom?" Bon gasped, sounding horrified and impressed.

Ellie laughed and shrugged, "If they're happy, I'm happy."

Bonne sat back down next to me, suddenly looking nervous. She bit her lip as Ellie and I exchanged a look, before blurting out, "Um, hey, speaking of happy, would it freak either of you out if I started dating your brother?"

Say whaaaaaaaat? I froze in shock, my mind trying to understand the words that just left Bonnie's mouth. She wanted to date Jeremy?

"You're into our brother?" Elena had to clarify, looking as shocked as I did.

"I know it's weird," Bonnie looked a little bit guilty and hesitant as she explained. "But he's been so good and strong. He makes me happy and I really can't tell what either of you are thinking right now."

Ellie glanced at me, a silent question in her eyes. I nodded. There was no way that I would stop this from happening. I knew that Jeremy had had a crush on Bonnie for a while and it looked like Bonnie shared those feelings. The thought of two of the people that I loved making each other happy was a pleasant one.

Ellie started off slow, "I know that Alexa shares my thoughts. And right now, I'm thinking that our brother has had more pain in his life than a hundred people's worth of pain and," here she took a moment to take a breath and I could feel Bonnie holding hers, "he deserves to be with someone as amazing as you."

Our witch looked like she couldn't believe what was just said, "Really?"

"Really," Ellie smiled as I pulled Bonnie into a hug. Elena quickly came around to the other side of the booth to join in.

"I'm so glad that you approve," Bon laughed in between us. "I was so worried."

"Why were you worried?" I gave her a nudge. "We love you just as much, of course we would approve."

Elena's phone began to ring and we waved her off to go answer it. Ellie gave Bonnie one more squeeze before she moved away, looking for someone quiet to answer the phone.

"All I need to do now is work out who to give the shovel talk to," I mused, tugging gently on one of Bonnie's curls. "I might just do it to both of you at the same time."

"You'll give both of us the shovel talk?" Bonnie laughed, shaking her head at me.

"Well, yeah. I can't have my brother getting his heart broken and I also can't have one of my best friends getting her heart broken," I rolled my eyes. "So if I just do it at the same time, then problem solved."

"You're so weird," my friend shook her head at me before gesturing at the empty glasses. "Want a refill?"

"Eh, I'll get it," I rolled my shoulders before standing up. "Just stay here and enjoy the approval."

I couldn't resist wriggling my eyebrows before leaving. I was so happy for them both, I really was. After what they had both gone through, they deserved to be happy. And, on a more selfish note, I was relieved that both of them were dating someone that I knew. When Bon was initially interested in that Luka kid, I was worried. I didn't know him or trust him. But Jeremy? Nah I adored that kid and he deserved to get the girl he was crushing on.

It was absolutely heaving up by the bar. The Grill had certainly achieved its aim, business had definitely picked up. And while it was good for them, it was bad for me. As it took forever to catch the attention of one of the bartenders.

But it did give me the opportunity to actually listen to the band for a bit. After Caroline had done her little solo number, I had quickly lost interest. Which was bad, I know, as this was a good opportunity for the guys on stage.

So I spun around in the seat that I had managed to pinch, resting one elbow on the bar while I looked at the band. They looked like they were enjoying themselves and they still had a sizable crowd in front of them.

I bobbed my head to the music until one of the bartenders finally made their way over.

"Sorry for the wait," the poor guy smiled apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," I waved it off, turning around so that I was looking at them properly. "Looks like it's a good night for you."

"Crazy night, more like," the bartender, Marcus, laughed, taking the opportunity to down some water. "What can I get for you?"

"Three colas please," I requested, digging out my purse. "And grab one for yourself too."

I slid over the required amount before reaching over and putting some more in the tip jar. It was looking impressively full already but I felt bad not adding to it. As I waited for the drinks, there was the sound of glass smashing behind me. The noise of the band disappeared and I glanced over my shoulder.

The guys on stage were looking up at the lights above them in confusion. Huh, did they all explode? Damn, that must have been some cheap equipment if they bulbs were exploding already. I hope no one got hurt, that would suck.

That was the last moment of calm that evening.

The next thing I knew, the rest of the lights in the room were exploding. I instinctively ducked down, covering my head with my hands as glass rained down upon me. People screamed as the room went dark. Panic seized my heart as I looked around the room for my loved ones. But the room was too dark. I couldn't see anyone that I recognised.

I stepped forward and caught sight of Dr Martin through the crowd. He was talking to someone but I couldn't see who. The sight of him had me staggering back against the bar. There was a fury in his expression that I had never seen before. It was mixed with such a raw grief and I knew that he was causing this. Something had happened and now he was on some kind of revenge mission. And I knew in that moment that I had to find my twin.

But I never got the chance.

Behind me, the glasses on the bar exploded. I raised my hands to cover my face but I wasn't quick enough. A shard of glass sliced open my cheek while others cut more forehead. But my hands caught the worst of it. Tiny cuts formed all over them, mingling with the pain on my face.

I ducked down as fire followed the flying glass. My heart raced in my chest and I struggled to breath. I could feel a thin trickle of blood falling down my cheek as my hands stung. All around me I could hear screaming as everyone ran for the exits.

I knew that I had to find my sister and get her out of here. But I didn't even know where to start looking. I had been up at the bar for so long that I had completely lost track of her. My palms started to sweat as I panicked, stinging the cuts on my hand.

I pushed myself to my feet to look for Elena but I got caught in the crowd. Panic had taken over and I was swept up in it. No matter how much I struggled, I just couldn't break free from the crowd. I was close to the entrance when a hand reached out to grab my arm. I glanced over and nearly died from relief.

"Stefan," I gasped as the vampire pulled me towards him. "I can't find Elena. Is she safe? Do you know where she is? I saw Dr Martin, he's the one doing this but I don't know why."

"Alexa," Stefan's calm voice broke through my rambling as he escorted my outside. "Luka died earlier tonight and know Jonas wants Elena. We've got a plan to stop him but we need you to play along."

"Anything to save Elena," I immediately agreed, not even bothering to ask. That was an error that I would live to regret.

XXX

I entered my house, feeling like I was going to through up. I was quickly followed by Stefan and the bane of my existence. The moment I had seen Katherine, I nearly took my agreement to help. But I knew that I couldn't. Ellie was in danger. And I would do anything to save her, even if it meant working with Katherine.

The two vampires must have heard something that I didn't as Katherine spoke the moment she was through the door, "It's not over yet."

Katherine's ability to mimic my sister was getting scarily better. If I didn't know my twin so well that it could have fooled me. Just like it fooled Jeremy and Bonnie, who were sat in the kitchen.

"What's going on?" my brother asked, glancing between the three of us.

"He'll explain," Katherine brushed off the question, gesturing to Stefan as she headed to the stairs. I barely had a moment to wonder what my role was before Katherine grabbed my wrist. My sister's doppelganger pulled me along behind her as she walked up the stairs.

Her touch had me breaking out into a sweat. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest at how close she was. All I could think about was when she killed me. The last time that I had been this close to her was the masquerade ball, where she threatened to kill me. Again. I was so tempted to pull my hand back. Katherine must have sensed that as her grip tightened.

I didn't even know why she wanted me with her. Was it for realism? Because it would be realistic as I wouldn't leave my sister's side after what happened. It was only because she was with Damon that I agreed to be parted from her.

Katherine led me into the bathroom shared by my siblings. She must have sensed something as paused before walking in. I was still being dragged behind her. Not that I had argued against it. Every sense in my body was screaming at me to get away from her, but I couldn't. It was like I had frozen.

The vampire turned on the tap and ran her hands under the water. I rested my hands on the counter, ignoring how they shook, before glancing up in the mirror. My heart stopped at the sight of Dr Martin standing behind us. I gasped and stumbled back as the warlock stepped forward. He put his hands on the doppelganger's shoulders, probably intending on dragging her out.

But that was his mistake.

Katherine's face changed, her fangs extending as the veins beneath her eyes rippled. My heart froze in my chest as the vampire spun around, her fangs sinking into Dr Martin's neck. He let out a yell of pain but I couldn't bring myself to help him. All I could see were the images of Rose's fangs, covered in blood. I remembered the pain as my neck throbbed, reminding me of what happened. I didn't even realise that I had stopped breathing.

Bitcherine threw his body to the floor as Stefan and Bonnie arrived. The evil bitch licked her lips, looking proud of herself, "You're welcome."

Bonnie shot her a furious look as she crouched down by the dead warlock, "You didn't have to kill him!"

"Yes, we did," Katherine scoffed, shaking her head.

I couldn't take my eyes off of the wound on his neck. The blood that seeped out of it turned my stomach. Was that what my neck looked like after Rose attacked me?

Our witchy friend sighed, looking down at Dr Martin with a devastated look. She reached forward to close his eyes when he suddenly shot up. He grabbed her face as Bonnie screamed. It took me a moment to register what happened. But luckily, the vampires reacted quicker than I did.

Stefan lurched forward and I heard a sickening snap. I could feel my vision darken and had to fight the urge to pass out. I was vaguely aware of the warlock's body dropping to the ground, actually dead this time. My mind was trapped in my memories. Of when Katherine killed me, of when Rose killed me.

I had just seen someone die the two ways that I had died. I saw the blood, heard the snap. And I felt sick to my stomach as I realised the truth. I wasn't strong enough to cope with this. It was all too much.

I was barely aware of Stefan gently pushing me from the room. Everything felt blurry, like it wasn't really happening. I walked downstairs, feeling the need to get as far away from the body as possible. Because if I didn't, then I would go over the edge now.

Damon and Elena were downstairs, standing in the living room. My feet automatically took me in their direction, well, in Damon's direction. My need must have been obvious as when I got within arm's length, my Damon held out his arms. I immediately accepted the invitation and sighed in relief as his arms closed around me. Right now, this was the only thing keeping me sane.

"How did you guys convince her to do this?" Elena asked after she had finished checking on me.

"We didn't," Damon shrugged carefully, making sure to not dislodge me from where my face was pressed against his chest.

"Wow," my sister sounded surprised and worried. "That's… not good."

My vampire immediately agreed, "No. No, that's not good at all."

Footsteps on the stairs interrupted their conversation. I shifted my head to the side so that I could see who was coming. Of course, it was to no surprise that it was Katherine and Stefan. The doppelganger bitch looked smug while Stefan looked sad that this had happened.

"Everything's taken care of," he told us and I wondered where Bonnie and Jeremy were. I hoped that they were together. Bonnie would need someone to look after her after what she had just seen. I just wished that I could have someone to look after me. But I couldn't let on as to how much it was affecting me. Not with Katherine lurking around.

I watched as Katherine tugged off her necklace, making me realise that it was actually Ellie's treasured vervain locket.

"I'm guessing you're going to want this back," the bitch sneered, looking unimpressed. "But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean."

I could see the drops of blood staining the top and felt even queasier than I did before. I remembered what my top had looked like, how soaked in blood it had been. I had just binned it. I knew that I wouldn't have been able to wear it again, even if I did get rid of the blood. The memories would have been too much.

My twin snatched her necklace from Katherine's hand before looking at Stefan, a stern look on her face, "You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home. I don't want her to have to deal with Katherine being around."

The vampire bitch rolled her eyes, "Is that all you have to say to me?"

My sister met her challenge head on, "This doesn't change the way I feel about you. After what you did to my sister and brother, you're lucky that I'm not staking you myself."

"I don't much like you, either," the vampire retorted, crossing her arms. "If we're going to be open and frankly, I'd be happy to see you and your precious twin sister dead, but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive. So I'm not a threat to you, Elena, or to Alexa or to anyone you care about. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that."

XXX

Hours later, I staggered down the street, whiskey bottle in hand. Jenna had gotten home not long after the Salvatore brothers had whisked Katherine away. Ellie had decided to wait for her, in order to explain what happened. But I disappeared upstairs, which was a mistake.

I was too scared to ask for help. I didn't want to be seen as weak. And more importantly, I didn't want to take the attention away from Elena. Keeping her safe and alive was more important. But after what I had seen this evening, I just couldn't stay strong any longer. The memories running through my brain were out of control.

And there was only one thing that could stop them…

"Got venom dripping from my lips, know who you're about to kiss," I slurred, spinning around, quickly losing my balance and falling to the ground. I pouted and pushed myself back to my feet, taking several attempts to do so. "Think that y'can hand it, boy, s'on... na na nan na nana na... That bad girl power I got, 'll'buse it tonight c'tonight got poison n'my mind, that power I got, you'll b'mine when I stribe, feel 'live got poison on m'mind."

Is the street supposed to be spinning like that? Don't think that it is...

Ah well. Shrugging my shoulders, I took another gulp from the bottle in my hand.

Ohhhhh, nearly empty. I did not like it when it was emmmmptyyyy. I needed it to not be empty. I needed the beautiful, lovely, amazing alcohol. Hmm, how to take my mind off of it? I know...

Dance. Dance. Dance.

I swayed my body from side to side, "G'poison on m'mind... power... poison... mind."

Losing my balance on my stupid heels, I stumble-stumble-stumbled to the side. As the song left my mind, bad bad thoughts entered. The bad thoughts that had gotten me into this position. Where I was drinking my thoughts away, to the point of nausea. If I stopped drinking, then I would start puking.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?"

A voice?

Le gasp!

A voice... from where?

No one in front.

No one to the right.

No one to the left.

... I KNOW!

I turned and looked behind me. Through my blurred vision I saw a vaguely good-looking blonde-haired man. I could just about see an amused expression on his face which had me frowning in annoyance.

"Y'talking t'me?" I slurred as I staggered forward until I was stood right in front of the dude. I tried to examine his face, but I just could not focus properly. All I could see were some kissable lips and bright blue eyes. He must have been new in town, as I had never seen him before. And with that English accent, he would have been recognisable.

"You're kinda hot, y'know that?" I mused aloud as I fell forward and draped my arms around his neck, accidently hitting him with the whiskey bottle. "Whoopsy, my bad."

"Thanks, love," the guy laughed, dodging his head out of the way as the whiskey bottle came dangerously close to hitting him again. "That's very kind of you."

I rested my forehead against his chest as I mumbled, "Not m'type though. No no no. D-D-Damon Salvatore is m'type. And only him. Used to be Luke but then he died. And I liked Damon back then anyways cos he was being all charming even when he was being an evil vampire." I paused and tried to remember what I had been saying before. But my mind was too muddled to even try to remember, so I just shrugged and let my mouth run wild. So, nodding sharply, I added, "You're still hot though."

There was an instinct deep down that was screaming at me that there was danger around. But I had drank too much booze to pay much attention to it. Everything was numbed and that was how I wanted it.

As I felt the man's hands rest on my hips, I whispered, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

"My twin is a st'pid su... sui... suicidal iiiiiiiidiot."

"Why's that?"

"Because she's trying to sac-sac-sacrifice herself to some big bad bully just so that he won't kill alla rest of us," I bit my lip as I felt tears slowly drip down my face as my other problem wormed its way into my brain. "And she doesn't see how much it h-h-h-h-hurts. She's promised to fight now but it took so long and she tried so hard to leave me. What if she tries again? I don't know if I can survive that and I don't want to survive it and I just know that if she had to make that decision then she wouldn't fight and would give herself up and-" I had to take a big gasp to stop the words from tumbling out. All of those feelings had just started pouring out and I couldn't stop them. It was the first time that I had been able to let it all out. I had to keep it hidden inside of me to not draw attention away from saving my sister. I had to stay strong so that others didn't worry about me instead.

Pulling myself away from the dude, I stumbled over to the curb and slumped down, ignoring my new grazes from where I had scraped my knees before. The cuts on my face and hands still stung, but the booze had comfortably numbed it.

I started to cry again as I asked, "Am I such a bad, awful twin sister that she wants to die? Am I that unlovable?" I hiccupped and took another gulp. "I already know that I'm worthless. The only thing that I am good for is being used as a weapon against my stupid twin."

The man behind me was silent and I didn't even know if he was still there.

"I just want her to want to live. Even if it means that I don't."

I dissolved into a mess of whiskey, tears and sobs.

XXX

I don't know how long later, I realised that I had to get up and go home. I still wasn't sober, but I could feel myself crashing. The crying had stopped a while ago but the sadness still lingered. I had finished my whiskey, much to my disappointment. The fact that I had finished a whole bottle should have worried me as I was probably approaching the stage of alcohol poisoning, but I just didn't care.

Caring hurt too much. All caring had gotten me was pain and misery.

I didn't want to go home as I knew that my family would be there to confront me. I wouldn't be able to hide the fact that I had gone out drinking. And my aunt and twin would be disappointed in me for doing so. They would be ashamed of me. And I couldn't take that. I had tried so hard to be good for them. I had ignored the itching under my skin for so long. Even though I so badly wanted to drink the pain and the memories away. But I didn't. Even after I died twice and got tortured, I didn't drink. Even after I found out that my sister was a suicidal idiot who was determined to sacrifice her life, I didn't drink. It was so hard keeping sober. And I failed. I couldn't even do that. No wonder my twin wanted to leave me. I would want to leave me too.

I shivered in the cold night air, regretting my choice of shorts. Not even the booze was able to keep me warm now. The effects of it were beginning to wear off and it was only a matter of time before I crashed. I would either fall asleep here or start puking. Either way, I didn't want that to happen.

So I pulled out my phone. My vision was so blurry from the booze and I could barely read the names on the screen. So I hoped for the best and picked the first name that I could press with my shaking fingers.

I held it up to my ear, barely able to stop myself from falling to the side, and listened to the dial tone. I had no idea what time it was but I did know that it was late. So I wouldn't have been surprised if I didn't get an answer.

So it took me surprise when the person picked up.

"Hello?" Ric asked, his voice sounding thick with sleep.

My voice trembled as I answered, "Ric."

"Alexa?" the adult confirmed, suddenly sounding a lot more awake. "What's wrong?"

"Everything's wrong," I sobbed out, quickly losing control of my emotions. "She wants to die, Ric, and I know she promised to fight but what if she changes her mind again? And I can't lose her. I would rather die. But dying hurts so bad. I watched Dr Martin die tonight. He died the same ways I did and now I can't stop thinking about it. And it's so scary and I want it to stop but it just won't stop."

It took a bit of time for Ric to stop my ragged rambling, "Alexa, I need you to breath. Where are you? Why aren't you at home?"

"It's where he died," I answered, shivering in the cold air. "I can't go back there. They'll be so disappointed me in. I failed, Ric. My sister expected one thing from me and I couldn't even do that. And now she'll be so disappointed in me and I can't face that, Ric, I can't."

"Have you been drinking?"

I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me, "It was the only way to stop the memories."

I heard a deep sigh down the phone, "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

I knew that when I sobered up, I would feel incredibly guilty for waking Ric up and dragging him out in the early hours of the morning to pick me up. But for now, all I wanted was the comfort he would bring. So I read out the street sign that I saw, adding a miserable, "I feel sick."

"I'll be there soon," Ric's voice was soothing and comforting down the phone. "Just don't go anywhere."

He hung up the line and I slowly lowered my phone. I lacked the coordination to put it back in my pocket, so I just sat there, holding onto it. The numb feeling was coming back and I didn't have the energy to fight it. It was too much. Everything was too much.

So when someone crouched down in front of me, I barely jumped. My eyes flickered up to see the blonde from before in front of me. A part of me had wondered where he had gone. Had he been watching me all this time? I should have been scared, but I was too tired for that. The look in his eyes made me tremble as he gripped my chin. He looked me over with a cold eye, looking so incredibly different from before. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and felt that helpless feeling of compulsion take over.

"What happened to Elijah?" he asked, his voice low.

"He was killed with the silver dagger and white oak ash," I replied against my will.

"So he's not around to interfere," the stranger mused before asking, "What about Katherine? Is it true that she is still around?"

"Katherine wants you dead, so she's going to help us kill you."

"And do you have a plan for that?"

I shook my head, "I don't have a plan. I haven't been told if the others do."

"What about the doppelganger, will she run?"

"If she thinks that I'm in danger, then she will let herself be sacrificed."

The stranger smiled, it was charming look but I could see the danger lurking underneath, "Thank you, love, you've been very helpful. Now forget this every happened."

I blinked, the stranger disappearing while my eyes were closed, and I forgot.

XXX

Alaric's POV

It didn't take me long to reach Alexa.

The girl was sat on the curb, an empty bottle of whiskey next to her, just staring into space. It was clear that she had been crying. Her makeup was smeared and there were tear tracks on her face. As I pulled up next to her, the girl didn't even blink. I sighed and got out of the car.

I made sure to approach her slowly. The last thing that I needed was to scare her, especially since it sounded like she had been through it tonight. Jenna had told me about Dr Martin's untimely death and it seemed as though Alexa had witnessed it.

I crouched down in front of her, finally drawing her attention. She stank of booze and I knew that she was in no state to go home. The fear in her words as she talked about her sister's disappointment was poignant. And I couldn't bring myself to force her to go somewhere that she didn't want to go.

"Hey Ric," she tried to muster a smile, a slight slur still in her voice.

"Bad night?" I asked as I helped the girl to her feet. She leant heavily against me as her legs shook. I couldn't help but notice the grazes on her legs and the cuts on her hands and face. It didn't take a genius to work out that this even had been too much for her. And had finally pushed her over the edge.

"Bad year," Alexa muttered as I helped her into my car. She slumped into the seat, shaky hands trying to do the seatbelt. I gently moved them out of the way and strapped her in myself. I quickly made my way around to the driver's side and got in. Alexa had decided to amuse herself by flicking through the radio stations. If it meant that she didn't throw up in my car, then I was more than happy to let her have her fun.

It didn't take long to drive home, even if I did drive carefully to prevent Alexa from throwing up. What did take long was getting her up the stairs to my apartment. I had never cursed the lack of lift as I did then. With her legs shaking so much, it took longer than it should have to get up them. And apparently her stubbornness had returned as the girl refused to let me carry her up them.

Once we were inside, I quickly got her settled on the sofa before grabbing a glass of water. I felt it on the table in front of her before retreating to the kitchen. I knew that I would have to let Jenna know where she was. It was my guess that Alexa hadn't told anyone where she had disappeared off to. And in this town, that was not a smart move.

So I pulled out my phone and dialled Jenna's number.

It didn't take her long to answer and she sounded worried when she did, "Ric? Thank god. Listen, Isobel just turned up on my doorstep."

My whole body froze at the sound of my ex-wife's name. Isobel was back in town? Since when? She didn't come back before, when Stefan went looking for her. And we all knew that she didn't care about anyone other than herself, so why was she here?

"Isobel is back? Are you okay? You didn't invite her in, right?"

"I'm fine," Jenna quickly answered. "I slammed the door in her face. But Ric, I can't find Alexa. She isn't in her room and she isn't answering her phone. Elena doesn't know where she is either."

I quickly interrupted her frantic rambling, "She's here with me. Looking a bit worse for wear, but she's safe."

"Oh thank god, where was she? What happened?"

I winced guiltily as I told Jenna the truth, "I don't know exactly what happened, but something pushed Alexa off the edge. I found her down Oak Avenue, an empty bottle of whiskey next to her. From what she said on the phone, Elena's recent attitude had finally gotten too much."

"She was drinking?" Jenna repeated, sounding tired and worried. Before I could reply, I could movement out of the corner of my eye. Alexa dashed across the room, looking incredibly pale, and darted into the bathroom. It took barely a second for me to hear her throwing up.

"Watching Jonas Martin die tonight was too much," I sighed, wincing as the girl continued to throw up. "I would have brought her home, but she was crying over how much Elena would be disappointed in her for drinking again."

"Would you be okay to look after her tonight?" Jenna asked, sounding hesitant.

"It's fine," I quickly reassured her. And it was true. I had quickly grown close the girl since I had first met her. Her undying loyalty to her loved ones was admirable. And she wasn't afraid to do anything for them. Besides, she was technically my step-daughter and my honorary niece. "I'll bring her back in the morning."

"Thanks, Ric. I love you so much."

"I love you too," I repeated with a smile before we hung up the phone.

Alexa was still throwing up in my bathroom. I wasn't surprised. She had drank far too much. If she hadn't had thrown up, then I might have had to take her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped. The poor girl must have been feeling miserable.

Sighing, I grabbed the untouched glass of water and entered the bathroom. I wrinkled my nose at the smell, suddenly thankful that I wasn't one of those who threw up at the smell of puke. Alexa had stopped throwing up by this point and was crying weakly. I placed the glass to the side and grabbed a face cloth, running it under the water.

I could feel her gaze on me and glanced down. Her green eyes, usually so bright, were dimmed and full of pain. It was honestly heart-breaking. Alexa used to be so full of life and she had been broken down to this. She was another casualty of this vampire world.

I crouched down in front of her and gently cleaned her face with the cloth. I wiped away the sweat and tears and makeup. I had never had kids, never thought that I would, but I realised that I was wrong. I had kids to look after now. Elena, Alexa, Jeremy; even Bonnie, Caroline, Matt and Tyler. They were my kinds to look out for now. And one of them was right in front of me.

I put the washcloth in the sink and picked up the glass. Holding it to her lips, I softly ordered her to take a sip and rinse out her mouth. Alexa's stubbornness had disappeared when she threw up so the girl did as ordered. She did that a couple more times before I urged her to drink the rest of the water.

I knew that her hangover would be horrendous in the morning. But by drinking some water now, it should take a bit of the edge off. When she finished the glass, I disappeared back to the kitchen to get her a new one. But by the time I made it back, the poor girl looked like she was about to fall asleep on the bathroom floor.

"I'm tired, Ric," she mumbled as I gently hoisted her to her feet. "Let me sleep."

"You can sleep in just a moment," I reassured her as I carefully led her to my bed. I was more than willing to let the kid use it for the night. She needed it more than I did. I helped her get her shoes off, a pair of ridiculously heeled shoes, before tucking her under the sheets. "I'll be on the sofa if you need me."

The girl muttered quietly, her eyes already closed and face relaxing in sleep, "Thanks dad."

I was surprised by her words but before I could say anything, Alexa's breathing evened out. I knew that she was too tired to remember what she said. But it warmed my heart. Even with all of the supernatural drama that happened in this town, I had managed to find a family.

XXX

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, hope this chapters get more of them ;) we're properly getting into the end of the season now and it's so exciting! Hope you all enjoyed, until next time xoxo