Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This chapter does a lot for Alexa's emotional health as well a few surprise cameos and foreshadowing ;) I changed my original plan for the chapter while writing it and I hope it worked! And again, I want to say that I do really love Stefan and I won't be mean to him forever.

XXX

When I woke up the next morning, I just rolled over and pulled my blanket over my head. Today was a day that I didn't want to think about. I had tried my best all of yesterday not to think about it, but now that it was here, I couldn't get it out of my head.

It was Luke's birthday today.

He had always moaned that it was so close to the beginning of the school year. Last year he had been a bit flaky with his school attendance, so he didn't really moan about it so much. But at least we got to celebrate. This year? It was his first birthday since he died. And I didn't know what to do. Did I acknowledge it? Or pretend that nothing is happening?

Ugh, this sucked so much.

All I wanted was a normal day. I was entitled to that, considering Vicki Donovan tried to burn my sister alive last night. The bitch. She was dead, she wasn't supposed to try and hurt my twin again. And to top it all off, Jeremy had revealed that he could speak to ghosts. And wasn't that a revelation. He was seeing Anna and Vicki. Had been all summer. But had he thought to tell anyone? Nope. The little shit had kept it to himself.

Behind me, I heard my door opening. I didn't know who it was, but they were trying to keep quiet. It wasn't until a familiar aftershave hit my nose that I knew who had snuck into my bedroom. Jeremy laid down on the other side of my bed, curling up into a ball like he used to when we were kids.

"Are you mad at me?" my baby brother asked quietly, picking at my bedsheets.

I sighed and turned over. Now that I could see him, I could tell that my brother hadn't been sleeping properly. How long had this been happening? So much shit had been happening, it was hard to keep track of everything.

"No, Jer, I'm not mad," I replied softly, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. "I am a bit disappointed that you didn't tell me about your new ability to see ghosts. But I am not mad."

"I wanted to tell you," Jer shook his head, scrunching up his face. "I just didn't know how. And with Bonnie out of town, I wanted her to find out in person. And then it all just got away from me."

"I know how that feels," I muttered before looking back at my brother. "Look, Jer, it's going to be okay. Just tell me everything you know, and then we can work it out."

My brother nodded before explaining how it had all started. I reached out to run my fingers through his hair as he talked. It was a messed up situation. One that I hated that my baby brother was going through. it was bad enough that he died, not just died with the ring died, but actually died. And I would be eternally grateful to Bonnie for bringing him back. But these consequences were unfair.

Bonnie had called us last night to tell us about what Vicki was doing. And how she managed to stop her. But she wasn't the only ghost causing issues. Anna was back too. I knew how my brother felt about the vampire. He had loved her, and her death had pushed him over an edge. He never got to say goodbye to her, just like I never got to say goodbye to Luke.

And that was why I was being a shitty friend. Because I wasn't berating my brother for wanting to see Anna again. He loved her and it was only natural that he wanted to see her again. But Bonnie deserved better than that. Ugh, this was the downside to your friend dating your sibling, it was so hard to pick a side when one of them fucked up. And my brother was fucking up. At least he hadn't kissed her yet. That would be a line that he couldn't come back from.

"Lexa, I don't know how to say goodbye to her," my baby brother admitted with a soft sigh.

I brushed his hair back, "I know, Jer, I understand. It's like me and Luke, I never got to say goodbye to him. So if I was in your position, I wouldn't know how to let him go either." I shook my head, "Maybe just explain to Bonnie how you feel. Being honest about this sort of thing can help stop problems from cropping up down the line."

"Do you think that she will understand?"

"Oh kiddo, Bonnie Bennet is one of the most amazing people that I know, she'll understand if you're honest with her."

Jeremy paused to consider my words before nodding, "Thank you, Lexa."

"You're welcome kiddo," I smiled softly. "Next time, just come to me first, yeah? Talking through this shit always helps. Trust me."

Jer raised an eyebrow at me, "Do you talk about this kind of shit?"

I snorted, "Nope. And it usually blows up in my face. Which is how I know that you should be talking through it before it gets to that stage."

"Is that what you're doing now?" my brother asked quietly. "Talking to Damon about this stuff?"

"Yeah, I talk to him about he. He understands without me actually having to explain it properly. And he doesn't judge me for it," I sighed and shook my head. "It does help, Jer. Trust me. Bottling it up only leads to a bigger problem. Like falling off the wagon."

Jeremy nodded, considering my words. I gave him the quiet that he needed to think, occupying myself by running my fingers through his hair. Now that it was shorter, it was a lot harder for me to mess it up. But that didn't stop me from trying.

Eventually, my brother nodded, "Thank you, Lexa."

I smiled back, "You're welcome, kiddo."

XXX

"As a long-time member of the Historical Society, I am especially proud to be kicking off this day of festivities," Carol Lockwood smiled from the stage. Around us, people were hanging paper lanterns from the trees. Fairy lights decorated the other trees while people bustled around the food and drink stalls that decorated the area. "Thank you, volunteers. Tonight, we turn off our town's lights and flare up our lanterns in honor of the Night of Illumination started by our Founders 150 years ago. Here's Founding Family member Tobias Fell with a history lesson."

The crowd starting clapping as Mrs Lockwood stepped back, allowing Mr Fell to take her place at the podium. I had never had much to do with Tobias Fell. He looked super old and I had always managed to avoid having him as a history teacher. At the numerous Founders events, he just tended to find a comfy chair and doze off before anything interesting happened.

"What are we doing here?" Jeremy groaned as I started picking my nails. Now that my nail varnish had chipped, I started to pick at it, peeling off what I could. It was a weird habit, but one that I had never managed to quit, even after Caroline had moaned at me over it.

"Tobias Fell is the head of the history department," Ric explained as he politely clapped. "I didn't have a choice."

"Alright," Jer nodded as we exchanged a glance. "That explains what you're doing here."

"But it doesn't explain why we are here," I added, tightening my ponytail.

"Well, I'm the one who can fail you both if you don't help me out," Ric smirked down at us, and I realised that living with my aunt and sister had finally turned him evil. It was only a matter of time, but the fact that I hadn't realised, I must be even more unobservant than I originally thought.

"And I'm the one who can ground you," Jenna pipped up as she joined us, my sister in tow. "So suck it up, kids."

I sniffed and crossed my arms, "That's it, I'm not making you anymore nachos with my homemade salsa."

My aunt gasped dramatically, "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do," I smirked, glancing away. We all knew that I didn't actually mean it. But it was fun to pretend otherwise.

"Sorry I'm late," Ellie spoke up while Jenna stared at me with suspicious eyes. "What did I miss?"

"You didn't miss anything," Jeremy answered after he glanced to the side. I just rolled my eyes.

"Jackshit," I snorted, shaking my head. "It's been uber boring and I could think of a bunch of things that are more interesting for me to do."

In the background, Tobias Fell droned on with an incredibly boring speech, "The first illumination was held in celebration with the newfound prosperity that Mystic Falls enjoyed after the war."

I was so engrossed in the boring speech, and how much of it was utter bullshit, that I nearly missed Jeremy laughing. I glanced over at him, my sister doing the same.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Our brother just nodded at the stage, indicating that he also thought that the speech was utter bullshit.

"The Founders, they placed lanterns over the doors to indicate that it was safe for their neighbors to come outside. That night was an opportunity of Mystic Falls to come together, a chance to strengthen ties with neighbors, business owners, and the…"

I stopped listening then, unable to deal with the lies. Like most of the Founder events, they were to celebrate the eradication of the vampires back in 1864. And I was just not in the mood to deal with that. Yeah, they were all douches, but that didn't mean that people should celebrate them supposedly being burned alive.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to look.

'Be careful. Mason Lockwood is back and looking for revenge.'

I stared down at it before blinking and replying 'WTF?'

Damon just replied with a 'On my way to see you, be there soon.'

Well, at least I would get more information soon.

I caught a few more words of Tobias Fell's longass speech before rolling my eyes, "I need a coffee. Anyone else fancy going to the Grill with me?"

"I really should wait for Tobias to finish," Ric frowned, but you could tell that even he was getting bored. He wasn't the only one, the crowd in the square had emptied considerably. Honestly, it was always the Fell's the ruined the party.

"Are you sure?" I asked, grabbing Jeremy's wrist. "Cos if I listen to any more of this, then I will scream. So why don't Jeremy and I go get a table, and you guys will meet us there?"

"I'll go with you," Jenna quickly spoke up, before hissing in my ear, "Don't you dare leave me here to listen to this."

I smirked, "Jenna, you can come with us. Ellie, you stay here and keep Ric company."

I silently laughed at the dirty look my twin shot me as we walked away. It was her fault for not speaking up sooner. And to be fair, someone had to be here to keep Ric company. It wasn't a long walk to the Grill, and we managed to find a table outside.

Despite it being September, the weather was warm out, so I enjoyed sitting in the sun. I moved my hair over my shoulder and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth on my face. Jenna and Jeremy quietly argued over who should be sent in to get the drinks. Jeremy argued that we should just wait for a hostess while Jenna insisted that if she didn't get some iced tea, she would ground him.

I kept quiet, knowing that if I reminded them of my presence, they would try to make me decide what to do. And I was not in the mood to do that today. So, in a rare moment of common sense from me, I stayed quiet.

XXX

Once Tobias Fell had finished droning on, Ric and Elena joined us at the Grill. My twin gave me a dirty look as she sat down and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. She was only annoying because she was forced to listen to the boring speech with Ric. You know what they say, you snooze, you lose.

After realizing that I did not care at all, Elena pulled some old, familiar books out of her bag. Well, damn, why did she have Stefan's journals with her? Was she torturing herself by looking for ways to save her boy? Cos I thought that we had established that it would not be an easy fix. Not that it would stop my stubborn sister, but I did think that it would take a her a bit longer to start trawling through his journals.

"Hey, Jer," Ellie started, turning to face our brother. "I need you to help me with something."

The kid jolted from where he had been staring into space, "What's up?"

Elena didn't notice. She was in full on plan mode. And it was always a thousand times worse when that plan revolved around Stefan. That girl was not going to be stopped. I sighed and made a mental note to tell Damon what she was up to.

"I've been going through Stefan's old journals," my sister started to explain, picking one up to place in front of him. "Every single time that he's gone off the rails in the past, his best friend Lexi's been the one to bring him back."

"Ah damn," I muttered into my drink as I realised what my idiot twin was thinking. Lexi, who was dead. Jeremy could see ghosts. Jeremy could get Lexi to help through him. I had to give it to my sister, it was quite clever. But very naughty of her to take advantage of our brother's new skill like that.

"So where is she now that we need her?" Ric frowned, glancing between my siblings. I was going to answer sarcastically before pausing as a realization struck me. Ric wasn't actually in town when Lexi bit the dust. And wasn't that a weird thought. The hunter had been around for so long, that I had actually forgotten that he wasn't always here.

"She's dead," Jer answered before anyone else could. He had a look of realization on his face as he looked at our sister. "And you want me to try to reach her, don't you?"

"I thought that if I knew how she did it, maybe I could help him," Elena said softly, glancing down at the journals. Well, shit, what could I say to that? Ugh, I'm gonna get myself involved in this, aren't I? damn my sister and her huge heart.

Jeremy shrugged with a sigh, "I don't even know if she's on the other side."

The other side? Huh, that's a new one. Makes sense I guess, it's the other side of life. Or death. Or whatever.

"Is that what it's called?" Jenna asked, reaching forward to grab one of the journals. The last time Stefan had fallen off the wagon, we had made sure to protect Jenna from it as much as possible. And it wasn't like he had turned off his humanity that time either. Dealing with humanityless Stefan was just weird, even worse than dealing with Damon when he was like that. Although that might be because we already knew what Stefan was like with his humanity on.

"That's what Anna calls it," Jer replied, glancing to the side. "There's not like an official brochure or anything."

I was surprised Elena didn't jump on the mention of Anna. Guess she was too focused on the Stefan issue. But it did make me think how often he had spoken to Anna that they had a name for the state that she was stuck in.

"So what is it, like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" Ric frowned, his thinking face on. Sounded like death wasn't as straight forward for the supernatural among us as I thought it was. Which made sense if I was being honest, nothing was straightforward when it came to the supernatural.

"That sounds horrific," I scrunched up my nose, sharing a look with Jenna. She must have shared my thoughts as she shook her head. But since it looked like Ric was not on board with the idea, she was content to let him deal with it for the time being.

"Well, Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see her or hear her," Jeremy explained softly, glancing to the side every now and then. "And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone."

Well, that sounded creepy as shit. They were just constantly watching us? And we had no idea? Made the thought of getting naked sound unpleasant. There were a lot of supernatural entities that I had pissed off, and the thought of them following me around was a shitty one.

"Vicki could interact, she blew up my car," the bitterness in Ric's voice amused me, and I know that sounded really bad. But I just couldn't help it. He was now stuck driving Jenna's little mini until his insurance came through. Luckily Damon had intervened and a payout was on its way.

The kid shook his head, "Vicki had help from a witch on the other side. Anna… she's doing this all by herself."

Despite the hopeful look on Elena's face, Ric shook his head, sounding disapproving, "I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people."

He did have a point, the last time one of our gang tried to do that, Elena and Stefan were nearly burned alive. And I had absolutely no intention of letting that happen again. There were other ways that we could help Stefan. Hell, Damon might even know the Lexi method. I was willing to bet that my sister hadn't asked him. She was not a fan of his attitude towards the situation.

XXX

Elena was silent for a few minutes, thinking intently, before shaking her head and looking back at Jeremy, "Do you think it's even possible to contact Lexi?"

"Didn't we just agree that it wasn't a good idea?" I rolled my eyes, only to get ignored by my idiot siblings. At least I had Jenna and Ric to back me up.

"I don't know," Jer shrugged, looking apologetic for not being more helpful. "I didn't have an emotional connection with her. I never even met her."

"Can we just drop it, please?" Ric sighed as my polite request for them to shut up was ignored.

But Elena was not going to back down, "No, I can't drop it, Ric. I don't know what else to do."

Damn, she really had her heart set on this idea. Had she not realised that it was a truly horrible idea? Getting Jeremy to speak to dead people was not something that we should be encouraging. Like at all. Even if it was for Stefan, I did not want to put our baby brother in that position. Elena could find another way to save her vampire.

"Don't you think we have a few too many dead vampires in our past to be sitting here thinking of them watching us?" the hunter asked quietly, lowering his voice as he glanced around.

"Ric brings up an amazing point," I agreed, getting a dirty look from Elena. I was all for helping her saving Stefan, but not like this. It was not a wise thing to do, and I wasn't going to let her get herself hurt doing it. Or even worse, get Jeremy hurt doing it. "We've pissed off quite a lot of dead vampires. The thought of them watching us is not a pleasant one, so please, just drop this."

Ellie went to argue, but was immediately distracted by Jeremy jerking his head to the side. We followed his gaze to the empty chair, and I sighed. Damn, he was talking to her again. At what point did we tell Bonnie about this? That she was constantly around? I didn't want to hurt my friend with that knowledge, but I didn't want her to get hurt further down the line. The two needed to talk about this openly and honestly.

"Is Anna here right now?" Elena frowned, exchanging a glance with the rest of us.

Jeremy coughed awkwardly before stuttering, "No, no. I'm going to go, uh, check my work schedule."

I shook my head in disappointment as the kid got up from his chair, stumbling over the one next to it, before practically running away. I was sure that I had taught him to lie better than that. Although, thinking on it, it was probably a good thing that we knew that he was lying. It meant that we could keep an eye on the situation.

We were just about to change the subject when an unwelcome asshole took Jeremy's empty seat. Stefan had a smirk on his face as he looked around our little group.

"Hey, guys," he placed his hands on the table as he leered at my sister. "Who forgot to invite me to the family summit?"

"Why would we invite you?" I snorted, ignoring Jenna's restraining hand on my arm. "Considering you aren't family, why would you be here?"

"Well, I am Elena's boyfriend," Stefan bared his teeth at me, looking annoyed. It turned out that annoying the dick was one of my favourite hobbies right now and I was not going to give up an opportunity to do so.

"Really, cos to me, it looks like she can't stand the sight of you," I smirked back, crossing my arms. "So why don't you do us all a favor and fuck off?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes at me before turning back to my sister. As he looked away from me, he saw the journals that littered the table. He picked one up, flicking through the pages.

"Hmm, all these words," he mused, before throwing it back on the table. "I forgot how much I used to care."

Ellie held her head up high as she stared the vampire down, "I didn't."

Stefan snorted and shook his head, "You know, Elena, it's probably best you not torture yourself with memories from the past. It's best we both just move on and accept things as they are."

For a brief moment, you could a flash of pain in my sister's expression. It made me seethe; he was deliberately trying to hurt her with his words. He knew that my sister still loved him, even though the rest of us had given up on him, but instead of using that to fight for his humanity, he just taunted her with it.

I wasn't the only one who noticed as Ric ground out, "You don't have to be here, Stefan."

The vampire douche turned to face the hunter before rolling his eyes, "You know what, Alaric, you're right. I don't. But Elena's here, and I look out for Elena. I even look out of the walking baby maker over there, even though I really don't want to. Besides, there's going to be people everywhere tonight. So, there's going to be lots to eat."

Elena looked at him in shock while I just sat there, offended. Walking baby maker? Bit of a dick thing to say. I was just about to berate him, maybe even stab him with Elena's pen, when he burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding," he smirked at my sister, when it was obvious that he wasn't. "I'm kidding. Loosen up."

Before we could say anything, he pushed himself to his feet and walked off. I definitely wasn't sad to see the back of him. Hopefully he got set on fire when the lanterns were turned on later.

Ellie watched him leave before turning to Ric, despite the strong look on her face, you could see the pain in her eyes, "I can't drop it, Ric."

XXX

After Stefan's dramatic and welcome exit, we retreated back inside the Grill. Ric had declared that since Stefan was hanging around to cause trouble, it would probably be best if we went home. He would hang around for the ceremony before making his exit.

I tagged along with Ric as he sighed, "I'll grab Jeremy."

"I'll be right back," Ellie nodded before heading for the restrooms in back. Jenna and I followed Ric. With the three of us there, the kid couldn't avoid any awkward conversations. Or try to do a runner. We were on our way to the bar, where we should find Jeremy if his excuse was actually legitimate, when a familiar hand grabbed mine.

I glanced up at my vampire with a smile, "Your brother's a dick."

"Tell me something I don't know," Damon rolled his eyes as he let go of my hand and instead wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "But we've got bigger problems."

"Bigger than Stefan being a grade A douche?" I frowned before shaking my head. "Of course we do." Raising my voice slightly, I alerted the adults ahead of us, "Ric, Jenna, trouble is brewing."

Ric sighed, not looking at all surprised, "When don't we have trouble?"

"What's happened?" Jenna asked, a resigned look on her face. Honestly, hadn't she learned by now? There was no such thing as a peaceful Mystic Falls event. Like seriously, I could not remember a single peaceful event since the Salvatore brothers arrived in town. And while they did make life interesting, it also meant that I couldn't wear clothes that I liked to them. I had thrown away too many bloodstained dresses for me to even think about wearing my cute ones.

"Well, you remember when we conspired to kill Uncle Werewolf Mason Lockwood?" Damon tightened his grip on my slightly as I winced at the reminder. It was something that I often tried to forget. I would always regret my part in that, even if I was protecting my loved ones. I was just lucky that Tyler had forgiven me for what I had done.

"Yeah, and?" the hunter prompted, although he looked like he really didn't actually want the answer to the question. I didn't blame him really. You rarely got the answer that you wanted in this town.

"I think he's still a little pissed," my vampire winced slightly, a hand coming up to rub his chest. I couldn't see any blood, but that didn't stop me from worrying. With his super healing, he would have already recovered from any injuries. But I knew that the pain sometimes lingered.

"What happened?" I asked, my hand coming up to cover his. Damon's fingers automatically tangled with mine and gave them a gentle squeeze.

Ahead of us, I heard Ric mutter, "I need a drink."

Damon sighed and cupped my cheek, "It's no big deal."

"Day," I rolled my eyes, before giving him a look. "Tell me what happened."

My vampire shrugged as he directed me towards the bar, "It was nothing. Just a little game of chaining me to a chair and shoving a hot poker in my chest. Before setting the sun on me without my daylight ring."

"Oh shit," I gasped, instantly checking him out. "Are you okay?"

Mason had done that to him? I knew that it was what Damon had done to him, back when he killed him. But Mason had returned the favor. I couldn't help but wonder who had saved Damon from that. Was it Stefan? Did Mason let him go after hurting him for a bit?

"I'm all healed," my boyfriend gave me a special smile before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I just wanted to make sure that he doesn't go after anyone else that was involved."

"Well, we haven't had any sign that he's around," I shrugged while Ric ordered drinks for everyone. Annoyingly, he got me a soda, while the others got alcoholic. "The only trouble that we've had has been your brother. At what point am I allowed to stake him? Because I am quickly losing my patience with the dick."

Damon laughed, tucking me into his side, running his fingers through my hair, "Not yet, Alexa. Let Elena exhaust all her options before trying."

"Speaking of," I rolled my eyes as I was forced to explain my sister's latest stupidness. "My darling twin has decided that her latest and greatest idea is to get Jeremy to speak to Lexi, in order to find out her method for detoxing Stefan. Not that he knows who the hell Lexi is, or if he can even speak to someone that he doesn't have an emotional connection with. Elena was trying to force one by bringing out Stefan's old journals."

"Huh, she's getting creative," Damon mused as I scoffed into my drink. "Did Jeremy agree to it?"

"Not yet. He was too busy avoiding Anna related questions."

My vampire was just about to reply when a new voice joined the conversation.

"Well, isn't this cozy."

I froze in my seat before looking past Damon.

Mason Lockwood leant against the bar, looking at us with a smirk. He was actually there. I could see him. Like actually see him. What the fuck was happening?

"Mason," Jenna gasped behind me, her hand coming to rest on my arm.

The dead werewolf reached forward to pluck the whiskey from Damon's hand. He downed it with a content sigh, "God, I miss whiskey."

And in a move that I probably should have expected, he then smashed the glass against Damon's forehead. My vampire hissed in pain before brushing away the glass and blood. After glancing down to make sure that none of the glass had gotten me, he turned to face Ric with a wry smirk, "Told ya."

"Oh fuck," I whispered, staring at Mason with wide eyes. This was actually happening. He could touch stuff, interact with the world. What did that mean? Could all the ghosts do that too?

XXX

While I stared at Mason with wide eyes, Damon's attention had been caught by a text. I had no idea what the rest of the gang were up to, but his words made me curious.

"I am never going to hear the end of that damn necklace," my vampire muttered, replying to whoever texted him before placing his phone to the side.

Mason had taken Ric's glass, downing that one too. He then appropriated Jenna's shot glass. We just let him, too shocked to even think about stopping him.

"One of you will pay for this, right?" he smirked at us and my heart clenched. "Cheers."

This was the Mason that I remembered. A cheeky little shit, but one that made you laugh. Not the angry man that he was before, who was so caught up in looking for revenge. But was this a good thing, seeing him like he used to be? Because it was reigniting my guilt.

"Let's get to it," Damon rolled his eyes, quickly drawing the werewolf's attention. "I killed you. You want revenge. Get in line."

"Actually, I want an apology," Mason shrugged, his keen eyes studying Damon's face. The unexpected words had me snorting and I quickly apologized when my vampire rolled his eyes at me. It was just so unexpected. Mason asking for an apology? Did he actually expect Damon to give him one? My vampire owned his actions, but he didn't often go back and make an apology for them. It was one of the things I loved about him, he didn't second guess what he did. If it turned out to be wrong, he acknowledged that and moved on.

Ric must have shared my thoughts as he laughed, "Good luck with that."

Damon shook his head before looking back at Mason, "Don't you have a family to haunt? You know your nephew has turned into a mindless hybrid Minion."

I winced at his words and my boyfriend gave me a gentle squeeze. Tyler's new status was still a bit sore. It wasn't the fact that he was a hybrid, it was more that he was now sired to the biggest dick on the planet.

"That's why I'm here," Mason shrugged, although his gaze had suddenly turned intense. "To help Tyler."

"Well, sorry to break it to you, buddy," Damon scoffed, shaking his head. "But Tyler can't be helped. At least not while Klaus alive. Which is, like, always."

"Ugh, don't remind me," I muttered. Klaus still being alive would always be a sore point for me. I was so desperate to kill the douche for what he had done to my loved ones. And to protect my sister. Now I had a new reason to want him dead. If we got rid of the Original hybrid, then maybe he would lose that hold over Tyler. And he could have his free will back.

"Not necessarily," the werewolf contradicted, immediately drawing everyone's attention. "Not if you found a weapon that could kill him."

"There is no weapon that," Damon started to scoff before trailing off at the knowing look on Mason's face.

"You know something, don't you?" I asked quietly, leaning forward slightly.

Mason glanced over at me and I couldn't stop myself from shrinking back into my vampire's side. Drawing his attention immediately reminded me of what happened the last time I spoke to him. And I was not strong enough to deal with that. It was why I had buried it deep, so I would never have to.

"I know that your boyfriend needs to apologize," the werewolf stared at me for a moment longer before switching his gaze back to Damon.

"You got to be kidding me," my vampire rolled his eyes, looking like he would rather swallow glass than apologise. But that was fine, it gave me a moment to pull together my composure. Because there was something that I needed to do.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I took a deep breath before meeting Mason's gaze. "I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death."

My honorary uncle's eyes were kind as they looked down at me, "It's okay, Alexa, I forgive you. I know that you were just looking out for the people you love."

"Still, I'm sorry for what happened," I shrugged lightly, grabbing Damon's hand and squeezing it. My vampire stared down at me before sighing and shaking his head.

"Fine," he looked over at Mason. "You're right. I didn't have to kill you. I do a lot of things that I don't have to do."

There was silence for a moment, and I could practically feel Ric staring at Damon with an incredulous expression. It was broken by Mason laughing and shaking his head.

"That's good enough for me," he shrugged, getting up from his seat. "Meet me at the old Lockwood cellar. Bring a shovel." He paused before glancing at the rest of us. "Come alone."

"What, you're going to bury me alive?" Damon scoffed and I had to wonder why Mason requested that he come alone.

"Don't tempt me," the werewolf smirked before he left.

"Well, that wasn't at all suspicious," I rolled my eyes. "I'm coming with you."

"Mason said that he had to go alone," Ric pointed out and I shrugged.

"Eh, he's always had a hard time saying no to me, he'll inevitably cave this time like the…" I trailed off as I caught sight of someone over Damon's shoulder. My body froze as my heart pounded in my chest. No… it couldn't be… could it?

"Alexa, what's wrong?" Jenna asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry as painfully familiar eyes locked onto mine, "Luke."

Damon's head immediately spun around, looking in the direction that I was staring in. Once he found what he was looking for, he turned back around and cupped my face, "Go to him."

"But what about you?" I asked quietly, reaching up to grip his wrists.

"I'll be fine," he shook his head, his beautiful eyes intense. "You need to do this, Ally. I know you do. This is your chance to properly say goodbye."

I nodded. He was right. Of course he was right.

"Oh god," I breathed before leaning forward to kiss my boyfriend. I tangled my fingers in his hair as I pulled back. "Call me if you need me."

And then, with Damon's blessing, I slowly let him go and followed my ex out of the door.

XXX

Luke led me over to the edge of the square. His back was to me, the sun shining in his blonde hair. It was weird, seeing him again. It hadn't quite sunk it.

"So, would it be tacky to say Happy Birthday?" I winced the moment the words left my mouth. What was wrong with me? He was back from the dead, I was actually able to speak to him, and that was what I said?

"Oh Alex," Luke laughed, turning around to face me, a wide smile on his face. "Only you could come up with something like that."

I rolled my eyes and huffed, "It's not like there's a guide to this. I haven't seen a book on Amazon on how to greet your ex-boyfriend who was murdered by vampires but is suddenly back from the dead. Trust me, I would be reading that shit if it existed."

Luke's smile turned soft and he stepped forward, "It's good to actually see you again, Alex. To speak to you," he reached out and gently took my hands in his, "to touch you again."

I couldn't stop myself from gasping at his touch. It was one thing seeing him again, but actually touching him? That was weird. I had grieved him, I had mourned him, and now I was touching him again.

"I still can't quite believe that it's real," I admitted softly, rubbing my thumb against his skin. "I thought that I would never see you again."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that," Luke sighed as he led me over to a nearby bench. It was out of the way, so no one could look over and be like, why aren't you dead. Cos seriously, some people would be thinking that.

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a look, "You shouldn't be sorry, I mean, you're the one who actually died."

"Alexa, I had to watch you grieve," the blonde shook his head. "I watched your guilt take over and you start to self-destruct. It was horrible. There was nothing that I could do but watch. It killed me." He scrunched up his nose, "But choice of words, but still, it sucked."

I winced, "Yeah, that was not a good time. It sucks that you had to see that." I paused before adding, "And what came next."

"The sacrifice? Or your multiple deaths? Or you falling in love with a vampire?" the look on Luke's face was knowing and I cleared my throat, looking away. Sometimes I did feel like I had moved on too quickly, but with everything that had happened since, it felt like it had been a lifetime. And it wasn't like I deliberately moved on to Damon straight away, I fought my feelings for him for a long time. But now Luke was here, bringing back all those thoughts.

"Uh, all three?" damn, my voice went far too high then. Way to act casual Alexa.

Luke was silent for a moment for laughing softly, "Alexa, I'm not mad that you moved on. Do I wish that it wasn't with a vampire? Well, yeah. But I'm happy for you. Really."

"You are?" I frowned, glancing back over to him. Luke wasn't always the most rational person when he was alive, and I knew that he really didn't like Damon. He barely tolerated Stefan.

"We were friends before we dated, I want you to be happy. And Damon, he makes you happy. Anyone can see that. Even before I died, I saw the way he looked at you. And it's only grown stronger since."

"What do you mean? How does he look at me?"

Luke sighed, speaking slowly, "Like you're the one that makes his world spin, like you light up his life. Alexa, Damon looks at you like you're the most precious person on the planet."

"Oh," I said softly. Even though I knew how Damon felt, it was still weird to hear it being described to me. Especially by Luke.

"And I've seen the way you look at him," Luke nudged me with a teasing smile. "I've never seen you look so happy. Not even when we were dating."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, "Yeah, he does make me happy. Sometimes it's hard to realise just how much." I shook my head and lightly punched Luke's shoulder. "You made me happy too. And I just… I've missed you, Luke. After everything that's happened these past few months, it would have helped to have you around. And Jazz too. My life had such a hole in it without you two in it."

The blonde winced when I mentioned his sister's name, a guilty look flashing across his face. I frowned and sat up. I reached out to grab his hand, "Luke, what's wrong?"

He sighed, refusing to make eye contact, "What do you know about our deaths?"

"Uh, just that the tomb vampires turned you and killed the others. I don't really have much memory of finding your bodies, and Damon kept me protected from the gorier details of what happened."

"That's what I thought," Luke muttered, shaking his head. "They turned me first, and made my parents watch. I don't know exactly what happened before I woke up, but I remember that Jazz was terrified. I was forced to transition, even though my mom was begging me not to. But I just couldn't stop myself. And then," his grip on my hand grew tight, but I didn't say anything, "they hurt her, my baby sister. And they forced me to feed on her. I just couldn't stop. I killed her."

"Oh Luke," I whispered, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"The look my parent gave me, they were utterly disgusted with me. The vampires tortured them for a bit longer before they got bored and killed them," the blonde rested his head against my shoulder. "They had their fun with me then, I don't really remember much of it, I just remember a blonde staking me."

"That's why you haven't found peace, isn't it?" I sighed, brushing his hair back from his face. "You feel guilty over what happened to Jazz."

"I killed her, Alex, how could I find peace after that?"

"Luke, I want you to listen to me, it was not your fault. Trust me. You were newly turned; you had no control over what you were doing. They manipulated you. There was no way that you could resist the hunger, not without being taught, and they knew that."

"On one level, I get that, but on another?" Luke trailed off and I nodded.

"It's hard to accept it."

XXX

We sat there, watching as the crowd in the square grew in anticipation of the lanterns being lit. It was weird, being with Luke again. And it wasn't just because I was dating Damon now. I had changed so much since I last saw him. I had been through so much. But that didn't matter.

I knew that Bonnie was working on getting rid of the ghosts, a text from Caroline had told me that much. So my time with Luke would be limited. And I was determined to spend that time trying to absolve him of his guilt. It didn't help that my own was growing, but I would deal with that later.

I had told him, in a multitude of different ways, that he was responsible for Jazz's death. And I would keep repeating that until he was forced to leave. I hadn't heard anything from Damon since he left with Mason, which was a worry. But I would go and find him soon. I had to trust Mason. I believed him when he said that he wanted to help Tyler. And killing Damon was not the way to do that.

"I have to admit," Luke said quietly as night fell. "I haven't really missed these events."

I snorted and shook my head, "Every single one of these has been a shit show. Like for real, someone always dies or gets tortured or attacked. I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed one of them."

"Is that why you don't bother dressing up for them anymore?" Luke nudged me teasingly and I rolled my eyes. I pushed myself to my feet and smoothed down my skirt.

"For starters, it's Illuminations Night, which is a bullshit thing," I shook my head. "And for another. I am fed up of throwing again clothes that have been ruined by blood. So why would I dress up?"

"You really think that something will go wrong today?" the blonde asked with a frown as he stood up too. We made our way further into the crowd. Since we were there, we figured that we might as well go watch the actual lighting ceremony.

"You mean other than the ghosts of our past making an appearance?" I raised an eyebrow and Luke had to concede the point.

"You think there's going to be something worse?" he amended his question.

"There's a lot of dead supernaturals in this town that we've pissed off and killed," I sighed. "It's only a matter of time before one of them decide to take their revenge. Especially if they find out that their time here is limited."

"Any news on what's happening with that?"

"Nope, nothing. I'm hoping that it's all going smoothly," I winced and glanced to the side. "Don't get me wrong, it's been amazing seeing you again, Luke. And I've really missed talking to you. But you're not the only one who came back."

Luke nodded, "It's okay. I understand."

"Today was a gift, one that I don't want to take for granted."

"I know what you mean, being able to tell you that it wasn't your fault has been something that I've wanted to do for a long time."

I sighed and shook my head. While I had been telling Luke that Jazz's death wasn't his fault, he had been telling me the same. Not that I would believe it. I would carry that guilt with me for a long time. Because it was my decision that led to his death. Yeah, I didn't know what would happen, but I had to take responsibility for my part.

"And one day, I will believe you," I quirked my lips, wanting to give him something. Especially I would soon lose him again.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Mrs Lockwood's voice rang across the square. "Mr Fell seems to have been detained, so the history department's very own Mr Saltzman has agreed to fill in."

The applause from the crowd was on the more enthusiastic side of polite. Guess we were all relieved to not hear Mr Fell drone on. At least Ric knew how to hold people's attention. It was probably one of the reasons why he quickly became one of my favourite teachers. It wasn't just because he was dating my aunt and was kind of my step-dad. Honest.

I was listening to Ric when Luke stiffened next to me. I glanced up at him with a frown, "What's wrong?"

He was staring through the crowd and slowly shook his head, "I thought I saw someone… from the tomb."

"Shit," I quickly followed his eyeline, trying to see if I recognised anyone. "How sure are you?"

"Not sure enough to cause a panic," Luke sighed, but I noticed that he had shuffled slightly close. While he was newly turned when he died, he was still a vampire. And that meant that he had more of an advantage than I did if the tomb vampires really were here.

"Oh behalf of Mystic Falls High School Historical Society, let's light 'em up!" Ric finished and the behind the scenes people did as commanded. Around us, the lanterns started to light up. I had to admit that it was actually kind of pretty. Even if I didn't want to be here.

Everyone started to applaud but I just had that feeling that something was very wrong. And that feeling was very quickly proved to be right. Someone screamed, drawing everyone's attention. I looked around the square until my gaze settled on the cause of the screaming.

Tobias Fell was hanging from the tree. He was covered in blood, injuries all over his body. There was no doubt about it, he was dead. And through the crowd, I caught site of a horribly familiar face.

Frederick was smirking at the body, looking far too pleased. And that was all the confirmation that I needed. The tomb vampires were among us. Which meant that I needed to find my family and get them the fuck out of here.

XXX

I pushed my way through the panicking crowd, looking desperately for Jeremy. I had seen Jenna near the stage and Ric had quickly made his way over to her. But my brother was unaccounted for. And I had to find him. Last time, the tomb vampires had targeted Founding families, and it wouldn't surprise me if that was what they wanted to do this time.

Luke followed behind me, watching my back. I knew that he wanted me to leave and get to safety. But I also knew that he wouldn't ask me until I had found Jeremy. But I just couldn't see him anywhere.

I could feel myself beginning to panic. It had been a while since I had last seen Jeremy. I didn't even know if he was still here. But I just had that feeling that he was. And that was enough for me to keep looking for him. It was the only thing that was stopping me from giving into my panic.

We were at the edge of the square when it happened.

A hand grabbed the back of my head, tangling in my hair. It slammed me forward, my face crashing into the tree. I choked out a groan as my forehead throbbed. Another arm wrapped around my neck, holding my chin. It was a move that I recognised. Whoever my assailant was, they had me in the perfect position to snap my neck.

I couldn't even begin to guess who was threatening my life this time. Like I had said to Luke earlier, there were so many dead supernaturals in this town that it could have been anyone. There was no guarantee that it was someone that I knew directly, there were a lot of tomb vampires that would kill me without even knowing me. A small part of me did think, where was Damon when I needed him? But I knew that I would get out of this. I was badass enough now that I could fight back. And I wasn't alone.

I forced my eyes open and through the blur, I could see Luke standing in front of me. He had a helpless look on his face and I tried to give him a reassuring smile. It really wasn't very good that I had been in these sort of positions so often that it wasn't really bothering me. I was scared, but I was far too reliant on my magic ring. Which was safely on my finger.

"It's nice to see you again, Alexa," a horribly familiar voice hissed in my ear.

"Jules," I croaked out, rolling my eyes. "I really should have known that your ugly mug would have popped up somewhere."

"Why are you even doing this, Jules?" Luke asked in front of me.

"Because I lost everything in this town," the werewolf snapped, tightening her grip slightly. "All because of her friends. And I want them to hurt, like I did. Like Mason did."

"He got over it, so why can't you?" I rasped, ignoring the sensible voice in the back of my head, that sounded annoyingly like my sister, that was screaming at me not to piss the werewolf off anymore than she already was. Not that I would listen to it. I had learnt from experience that just pissing off your capture made them more likely to make mistakes. Of course, one day it would backfire on me, but until that happened, I would keep going with it.

"What about my other friends? Have they gotten over it?" Jules shook me slightly and I winced. The movement made my throbbing head hurt even more. I knew that I would have to get someone to give me a concussion check later, but for now, all I had to do was keep my head still and not throw up.

"Damned if I know, they haven't shown their ugly faces yet either."

"Alexa, shut up!" Luke hissed in front of me. I could see him shifting his weight, probably waiting for the right opportunity to rush forward. The issue was, he had never had the opportunity to learn how to control his vampire speed. And Jules was a sharp one. She wasn't easily fooled. But I would do my best to give him the opportunity to save me. After all, I couldn't get out of this position myself. Even if Jules' didn't have me beaten in strength, the blow to my head had killed my ability to properly fight back. I was more likely to throw up on her than punch her.

"Nah, this bitch isn't going to do anything," I snorted stupidly, wondering when I would actually learn how to shut up. "She's too weak and pathetic. She's failed to kill me before; she isn't going to be successful this time."

"Oh yeah?" the werewolf hissed dangerously. And I realised that I had probably pushed a bit too far. Wonder what it was that was the final straw for her.

"Yeah," a new voice replied before I could. And suddenly, the grip holding me disappeared. I staggered forward a step and Luke steadied me. I closed my eyes for a moment as I held back my nausea. Yep, I was definitely going to have to be checked for a concussion.

When I turned around to see who my rescuer had been, I froze where I stood. Of all the ghosts that could have come back, I wasn't expecting this. Like not at all. It wasn't something that I had expected would happen. But I probably should have. Making unexpected appearances was his specialty.

"John," I breathed out, wondering if Jules' attack had given me brain damage. Because it was definitely a likely occurrence, considering what I was looking at. I would have thought that I was actually asleep, that the blow had knocked me unconscious, but the pain in my head blew that theory out of the water.

"Hello Alexa," my birth father smiled back at me. "It's good to see you again."

Well.

Shit.

XXX

"So, uh, you came back too, huh?" I cleared my throat, leaning back against Luke. I wouldn't admit it, but the pain in my head was getting overwhelming. Or that could just be seeing John again. While I hadn't been there when he died, his death was hard for me to get over. I had put some much of my focus and energy into getting the others through it. Especially Jenna and Elena. My twin had watched him die, had heard his final words. And the guilt had consumed Jenna at first. The fact that he had given his life for her, it wasn't an easy thing to do deal with.

"I had to make sure that you were all safe," John nodded, stepping forward. He carefully pulled me away from Luke before wrapping me in a hug. It was one that I gratefully accepted. I knew that I wouldn't have long with him, and I wanted to appreciate every moment. Despite everything, he was my birth dad, I had grown up with him as my uncle. He was family. And I had been gifted with a chance to say goodbye to him.

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing you again," I breathed into his shoulder, trying to keep a hold of my composure. "It sucks that you're dead."

"Dying wasn't much fun either," John admitted softly, giving me a final squeeze before stepping back. "But it meant that I could see you again."

"Have you seen anyone else?" I asked. "Jeremy? Jenna?"

"I saw Jeremy leaving earlier," my uncle answered before hesitating. "Jenna's with Ric."

The tone of his voice put me back on edge. What had happened now? Seriously, I leave people alone for just a little bit and everyone gets into trouble. And yes, we shall ignore the fact that I was in trouble too.

"What happened?" I asked quickly and John gestured for us to follow him. I exchanged a look with Luke, making sure that he was still with us. I knew that despite him being a vampire hunter, he had never really experienced much action. His parents had only taken him on the easier hunts, making sure to protect him as much as possible. And until the one that lead to their deaths, he had never seen a loved one get hurt. Not like that. And I was just brushing it off. I was only able to do that because it wasn't the first time that I had been in that situation. Which was a majorly messed up fact.

"You aren't the only one to run into a violent ghost from their past," he sighed, leading us to one of the back alleys. Despite the lights around us, the alley was dark. But through the gloom, I was able to see the body on the ground. Ignoring the pain in my head, I cursed and dashed forward.

Jenna was kneeling next to Ric's body. She had obviously been crying but had a strong look on her face now. She was holding his hand in hers, and I could see the Gilbert ring on his finger. I let out a small sigh as I crouched down on his other side. At least now we knew that he would come back.

"What happened?" I asked my aunt softly, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"One of the tomb vampires," she sighed, glancing over at me. She tried to give me a smile, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was failing miserably. "He got Ric from behind, he didn't have a chance."

"Are you okay?" I checked her over for injuries, but if there were any, it was hard to see in the dim lighting.

"Yeah, John arrived before he could go after me," Jenna reassured me, reaching up to pat my hand that was on her shoulder. "He helped me get the body over here before he heard something."

"Ah, yeah," I winced and cleared my throat. "That was probably me that he heard. Jules decided that she wanted to be a petty little bitch."

"Did she hurt you?" my aunt's voice was sharp as she leant over Ric's body to take a closer look. She carefully held my chin before titling my head back into the light. I had no idea what my forehead looked like, but she winced as she looked at it.

"Honestly, it's nothing," I carefully eased my head away from her. "I have a headache, but it's nothing that a good night sleep won't fix."

"Just promise me that you'll get Damon to have a look at it," Jenna sighed, knowing better than to fight the point right now. Maybe if her boyfriend wasn't laying dead on the floor between us.

"I promise," I said softly before looking down at Ric. "We need to get him somewhere safe until he wakes up."

"His apartment is close by," Jenna said, glancing around. "We can take him there."

I nodded before climbing to my feet. I looked around for the two vampire ghosts, only to see them conversing quietly at the end of the alley. I approached them and cleared my throat. "We need your help to get Ric to his apartment. He can't stay here, and Jenna and I aren't strong enough to carry him ourselves."

John glanced over at Luke before nodding, "I'll help her. You two stay here." I went to protest only for John to speak over me, "I get the feeling that we don't have long until Bonnie's finished her spell to send us back. And you two need to talk before that happens." He paused before sighing, "I love you, Alexa. And I'm sorry that I can't be there for you any longer."

"I'll be fine," I nodded with a soft smile. "I have other people looking out for me now. And, I love you too. Both as my uncle and my birth father."

John cleared his throat before resting his hand on my shoulder. He studied my face before nodding with a determined look. I had no idea what he was doing, but before I could say anything, he turned around. I frowned and watched him leave. He carefully eased Ric's body over his shoulder and followed Jenna's directions. My aunt glanced back at me, but I gave her a thumbs up. Right now, she needed to focus on Ric, and getting herself to safety. I would be fine.

XXX

"Alexa, I don't have much time," Luke sighed, turning me to face him. Jenna and John had left our sight. The square behind us was quiet, having emptied out not long after Mr Fell's body was discovered. It was just a few of the cleaning crew who were left, glancing around wearily as the coroner's van disappeared from view.

"What do you mean?" I frowned, the worried look in his eyes unnerving me. It wasn't so much his words, it was the tension in his body, the way he glanced around warily. Like he was scared of what he was going to say.

"It doesn't matter," he shook his head, an urgent tone entering his voice. "I just need you to promise me something."

"Anything," I immediately agreed. I knew that Luke wouldn't ask me something that I would regret. I trusted him. We had been friends for years and I knew that he respected my choices. Even if he didn't always like them, cough Damon cough, he wouldn't do anything to end my relationship with him.

"You have to fight it, Alexa," Luke said, his hands on my shoulders. His grip was tight and I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to grip his wrists. I had never seen him like this. I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly feeling incredibly dry. His grip on my shoulders was getting painful, but I ignored it. There was something more important happening here.

"Fight what?" I was almost afraid to ask. The urgency, the fear, in his eyes scared me. This was something serious, and I had no idea what it was. But the fact that it scared Luke was not a good sign.

"The darkness. It's getting stronger. And you can't let it. She will destroy you and I love you too much to allow that to happen."

I shook my head, my mind whirring. What did he mean? The darkness? Who would destroy me?

"Luke, I don't understand," I started to say but was cut off by the blonde shaking his head.

"You'll understand soon," he said, glancing around. "But until you do, you just need to fight it. Every dark feeling that you have, anything that does feel right, you have to fight it."

"Okay, I'll fight it, I promise," I nodded and Luke looked relieved.

"Thank you," he reached out to stroke my cheek, a soft smile on his face. "I'm happy that I was able to speak to you, Alexa, for one last time."

"Me too," I added softly. "And, because I can actually say it this time, goodbye, Luke. I'll always miss you."

"I miss you too, Alex," Luke glanced to the side, a small frown on his face before he turned back around to face me. "And please, you have to stop dying. You need to get rid of-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Luke disappeared from my sight.

I staggered forward a couple of steps as I lost his support. I looked around with wide eyes. But he was gone. I guess Bonnie had completed the spell. The ghosts were gone. But what was Luke going to say? What did I have to get rid of? His plea for me to stop dying made sense, because my repeated deaths was not really a good thing. But when you tied it into his words about the darkness, it was weird.

I shook my head; I couldn't think about that now. It was something for another time, once the shook of actually seeing him wore off. But this time, I was able to say goodbye. I was able to put that part of my life at peace. I hadn't realised just how it had affected me until I saw him.

My phone buzzing in my pocket distracted me from my thoughts. I pulled it out and my heart eased in relief as I saw Damon's name light up.

"Hey, are you okay?" I answered quickly, suddenly desperate to hear his voice. I had to know that he was okay, that Mason hadn't tried to hurt him. It had been so long since we said goodbye, and after my run in with Jules, it felt like a legitimate worry.

"I'm fine," he replied, and I let out a sigh of relief at the sound of his voice. He sounded fine. But with his vampire healing, he could have been hurt and already healed. "But I do need your help. Mason was trying to show me something, but he disappeared before I could get in there."

"Get in there? Is it like a house or something?" I frowned, already heading in the direction of my car. I knew that Elena could get a lift back with Jenna. Our aunt could probably do with the company, especially if Ric hadn't woken up yet.

"Or something," Damon answered vaguely. "Come to the old Lockwood cellar and I'll explain everything."

"Okay, I'm on my way," I nodded. "Be there soon."

We said our goodbyes before hanging up.

I couldn't help but wonder what was at the old Lockwood cellar. As far as I was aware, there were no buildings there. So there was nothing stopping Damon from looking at what he needed to. So what had Mason been up to?

I quickly tracked down my car before sending my sister a quick text, letting her know that I had taken it. Just in case she thought that it had been stolen. Because she did sometimes forget that I had actually learnt how to drive. I had had a pretty funny conversation with Sheriff Forbes once, when she pulled me over. Elena had forgotten that I had taken the car and had reported it stolen. So when Liz found me behind the wheel, she got a proper laugh out of it.

I set off towards the cellar, my mind spinning with everything that had happened today. Luke's final, ominous words echoed around my head. I had absolutely no idea what he meant, and I didn't know how to find out how.

XXX

I carefully made my way down the stairs, following the light in the distance. It hadn't taken me long to get here, and once I did, I saw Damon's camaro parked up. Which meant that he was still here.

I reached the bottom but before I could step off the final stair, Damon was suddenly standing in front of me. I jolted slightly before rolling my eyes. I couldn't see him very well, as he stood in front of the light, but the fact that he was standing was a good sign.

"Hi," I smiled softly as he reached out to cup my cheek. I saw his gaze immediately head to the impressive bruise on my forehead. I was just lucky that she hadn't broken the skin when my head collided with the tree. But I knew that it definitely didn't look good.

"What happened?" Damon froward, tilting my head in the light so he could get a good look at it.

"Well, apparently, Jules really doesn't like me," I rolled my eyes, still annoyed that she had chosen to come after me. I would say that she needed to get a life, but even I'm not that tacky. "She made that very clear when she threatened to snap my neck."

"She's lucky that she's already dead," my vampire growled, his eyes flashing angrily. His grip on me tightened slightly and I rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Jules was properly gone this time, there was nothing that he could do, except yell at thin air.

I cleared my throat and shrugged, "I mean, I did kind of taunt her too. But I just couldn't stop myself. She went out of her way to pick on me."

Damon rolled his eyes at my pout before leaning in for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I relaxed into his arms.

"One day, this mouth is going to get you into trouble," he breathed into my ear when he pulled back. I could feel my cheeks flushing at the feel of his lips against my skin. After today, the feel of having Damon so close to me was a comforting one.

"Oooh, what kind of trouble?" I smirked, wiggling my eyebrows. My vampire stared down at me for a moment, his lips twitching, before he shook his head with a laugh.

"Oh Alexa," he pressed a kiss to the side of my forehead. "Only you."

"Well, I had to get you to laugh somehow," I shrugged before Damon wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He led me over to a hole in the wall. The bricks had been smashed in and I peered around with interest. "So, this is where Mason took you?"

Damon hummed, "There's a cave that has the same kind of barrier that houses have. Mason disappeared before he could tell me what he found."

I frowned, "So you don't actually know what is back there?"

"Nope," my vampire confirmed. "But for Mason to have led me here, it must be something interesting."

"Fair enough," I shrugged, glancing over. It was then that I saw the bloodstains. The light of the lamp illuminated them and I gasped. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Damon carefully grabbed my hands as they fluttered over the bloodstains, "Ally, I'm fine. All healed up. Apparently the ancient Lockwoods laid traps throughout their little cave system. I tripped one and Mason got me out of it."

"You sure that you're okay?" I glanced up at him with wide eyes.

"I promise," he smiled softly, giving me a look that he never showed anyone else. "Just be careful when you're walking. Stay behind me, and only step where I step."

"Okay, I can do that," I agreed, giving the entrance to the caves a distrusting look. There were traps in there? Where the hell had Mason taken us?

Damon gave me a reassuring look before he led us into the tunnels. He passed me a flashlight while holding up a lamp. We moved slowly with Damon checking every area before we moved on. Apparently he was just as concerned about traps as I was. Not that I blamed him, the thought of being impaled was not a fun one. And no, I don't mean impaled in that way, get your thoughts out of the gutter. Being stabbed was not a fun experience.

Damon eventually led me to an opening, stepping to the side. He gestured towards the dark cave ahead of us, "I can't get any further."

I shone the light into the cave. It looked look there was anything that would jump out at me. But when I went in, I wouldn't have any vampire backup.

"Do you hear anything?" I asked quietly, fidgeting slightly as I realised how much I didn't actually want to go in there.

"There's nothing there, Ally, trust me, I wouldn't send you in there if I didn't think you would be safe," Damon pulled me close, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded sharply, "Okay. Let's do this."

I stepped forward, immediately missing Damon's warmth. I pointed the light at the ground at first, making sure that I didn't trip over anything. Once I was happy that I was happy that I was in the middle of the room, I pointed the light up.

"So was Mason screwing with me, or is there something in there?" Damon asked. I glanced over my shoulder at him before looking back at the walls in front of me.

"Uh, well, there's something in here, but I don't really know how to describe what it is," I replied slowly, squinting at the walls.

They were decorated with drawings. The white paint reflected in the light of my torch. There were little people and animals and it looked like those cave paintings that I had seen pictures of. But what were they doing here? And what had Mason brought Damon to see them?

What did they mean?

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A/N: Only the one review but it still made me so happy! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and my twists. Please keep the reviews coming! And I'll carry on with the smut ;) xoxo