Sheriff calls me to talk about Vicki. I'm not sure why. She's not missing anymore.
"Hello Sheriff," I greet walking in.
"Hello Siv, I told you, you can call me Liz," she says.
"Sorry Liz. May I ask why you have called me in?" I ask her.
"It's about Vicki's disappearance." Liz says.
"Disappearance?" I question.
"Yes, Elena told us she is missing." Liz tells me. Elena is the reason for this. I am grateful that the boys and Vicki are at the house.
"Elena told you? Isn't Matt her next of kin?" I ask acting confused.
"Yes, but we thought we should look into it anyway," Liz tells me. "Just to make sure all our bases are covered."
"Have you spoken to Matt?" I ask.
"No, I haven't gotten the chance. You're the first person to come in." She says.
"Ahh, well I am sorry Elena has wasted your time and resources. Vicki is staying with me. She spoke to Matt just last evening." I tell her sympathetically.
"Really?" She says surprised. "That's fantastic. Elena told us that no one knew where she was."
"Nope, I believe almost everyone knows she is receiving help. She spoke to Jeremy, and Matt. I told Stefan and Damon. I believe she was told but didn't want to believe it." I tell Liz.
"That's amazing to hear. I am so glad to hear she is getting help." Liz says.
I head back home. As soon as I walk in the door Enzo calls me. I head into the kitchen.
"Jeremy texted asking if you can help him with his homework." Enzo tells me.
"Tell him I will head right over." I say with a sigh leaving the house. I walk to the Gilbert house and knock on the door. Jeremy answers.
"Hey Siv, thanks so much for coming." He greets. I step inside his house, and we head to the kitchen table.
"No problem at all." I say.
"Vicki talked to me telling me that she was getting help. I thought I should encourage it but turning my own situation around as well," he tells me.
"That's fantastic to hear. I know she was worried about you." I say.
She told Godric that, I overheard. I look over his work and start helping with it. We get through a bunch of his assignments while Jenna and Elena wallow on the couch. I join them while Jeremy completes his math assignment.
"I'm sorry about Logan leaving you," I say.
"I'll live," she says with a sigh.
"Let me make you some goodies to help you truly embrace your new single lady status." I say.
She chuckles. "Knock yourself out. Help yourself to the kitchen."
I head over to the kitchen and start looking around deciding what to make. I decide on chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla butter cream. I quickly whip up the batter, while explaining stuff to Jeremy, for another overdue assignment. I put the cupcakes in the oven and make the vanilla butter cream icing. Jeremy leans over the bowl and dips his finger in. He licks off his finger.
"That's good," he says.
"Thank you. Hopefully it will be just as good on the cupcakes," I reply.
I go join him while the cupcakes finish baking. The timer goes off and I pull them out. I put them in the fridge to have them cool faster. I sit back down to help him out some more on some history that he is struggling with. Once we finish that assignment, I get a baggie and put the icing in it. I cut off a corner and pull the cupcakes out of the fridge. I ice them making the icing look neat but making sure to put a lot on there. Jenna comes over and tries one.
"These are amazing," she says. "Thank you and not just for the cupcakes."
"It's not a problem. Feel free to stop by anytime. I usually have a goodie or two in the freezer waiting to be broken out, with a good cup of tea and great conversation." I say.
"Well, thank you. I will have to take you up on that. It would be nice to have an adult to talk to." She tells me.
"I'll hold you to that," I say chuckling.
I clean the dishes, dry them, then put them away.
"You didn't have to do the dishes," Jenna tells me.
"Yes, I did. It is not fair. I made the mess I should clean the mess," I explain.
"Alright, I won't fight you on that logic. Can you teach these two to do that?" She asks laughing while pointing at Elena and Jeremy.
"Unfortunately, I cannot. Not even I can make that miracle occur," I reply with my own laugh.
Jeremy looks mock offended. Elena storms off.
"What's wrong with her?" Jeremy asks.
"I believe the Sheriff was very cross with her today." I say as I pull a bottle of wine that I conjured from the house. I pour Jenna a glass to go with the cupcakes.
"Where did you get the wine?" Jenna asks surprised.
"I generally try to bring wine with me when I am invited to someone's house. I think this occasion calls for it." I say. I pour Jeremy a small amount, just enough for a couple of sips.
"Jeremy isn't old enough," Jenna says.
"I know but teaching your charge to drink responsibly will help when they are older. It prevents alcoholism and addictions. A small amount of wine over a dessert is a good place to start," I inform her. "It is also a good reward for a job well done in getting his assignments done."
Jenna nods. Jeremy takes a sip nodding at the wine. Jenna takes a sip as well.
"This is really smooth, where did you get this?" She asks.
"I do hope it is good. It was expensive. It was imported from Italy." I tell her.
"Why would you buy something expensive?" Jenna asks shocked.
"Godric is a wine snob." I say causally taking a sip of the glass I poured for myself. Jenna sips hers out and laughs.
"Really? How bout you and Enzo?" She asks still laughing. Jeremy is also chuckling. I smile at him. I am excited to tell Vicki all about the progress he is having. I know she will be pleased.
"I will try anything. Enzo is a whisky and bourbon fan." I say. "Our alcohol cellar is quite large and full. The boys will travel anywhere for a good bottle of alcohol. When they find a good vintage, they tend to go overboard in buying.
"You're a god sent putting up with that. I have no idea how you do it." Jenna says.
"They are grown adults, but you taking in your niece and nephew. That is a big change. You are doing so well. I have no idea how you are doing it." I compliment.
"It's hard and honestly I feel like a failure, with Jeremy especially," she says. Jeremy is looking focused on his work. "You turned him around. How did you do it?"
"You did most of the work. I just acknowledged what is important to him and told him to come to me in his own time. I showed him that what is important to him is important to me. If someone does not want to change, they will not. They will resist in all possible ways. It does not matter if they are a child or an adult." I explain.
"You're right." She says.
"You are trying to think like you are their parents. That is understandable with you being thrown into this roll. But you must think like their aunt. Be their favourite aunt, that is how you will make a difference in their lives. Asking for help is not a bad thing either. It takes a village to raise a child. Think about how things were when you were their age. How you would have reacted to situations. Make plans based on that." I tell her.
"I will try to do that. Thank you," she says smiling.
"Like I said before it is not a problem," I say smiling back finishing my glass of wine.
"Wait, why was Liz angry with Elena?" Jeremy asks surprised, joining back in the conversation.
"I was informed that she told the Sheriff that Vicki was missing falsely of course. She stated that no one knew where she was, when in face most of the town knew she was staying with my family." I explain.
"Why would she do that?" Jenna asks concerned.
"That is not a question to which I have the answer for." I say.
"That's true." Jenna says.
"I should get going. It is getting dark and I am expecting a friend to arrive soon enough." I say.
"Thanks so much for your help, Siv." Jenna says as we both walk to the front door.
"Yeah. Thanks, Siv." Jeremy yells from the kitchen.
"It is not a problem. Do not hesitate to ask if you need anything else." I say loud enough for Jeremy to hear. I hand her a piece of paper with Enzo's number on it.
"What's this?" She asks.
"It's a way to reach me. In case you need anything." I reply.
"Thank, I'll definitely use it. I could use a friend like you," she says.
"Do not hesitate. Have a good rest of your evening." I say as I leave their porch.
"You too, Siv," Jenna says waving as I walk away. I teleport as soon as I am out of her view. I arrive just in time to greet Lexi. She knocks on the door as I walk up behind her.
"Hello, Lexi," I say behind her. She whips around.
"Hey, Siv. You scared me." She says hugging me. I hug her back.
"How would you feel about earning your daylight ring?" I ask.
"I would love to do that," she says excitedly.
"I need you to look after a baby vampire. Teach her to become productive. She's a former drug addict. So, you definitely have your work cut out for you," I explain.
"Alright, I can do that. Where is this vampire?" She asks.
"She's out learning with Godric and Enzo. I thought having a woman to connect with might make things easier," I say.
"Well, thanks for the call. I was earning for Stefan's birthday anyway," she says. "Speaking of that there is a party for him at the grill. You going?"
"I can go. I will go get changed and we can go," I say.
"Perfect," she says. I go change then we head to the grill. I see Stefan and walk over.
"Happy Birthday," I say.
"Thank you," he says.
"You know if you wanted to tell people it is your birthday it would not be a big deal. You just say you are turning 17 or something like that," I say.
"I could, but it's easier to not say anything," he says with a smile. "How do you know Lexi?"
"I knew about her long before you met her. She is my husband's line. I know her from that," I say. Lexi comes to join us.
"You know Siv?" Lexi asks.
"Not well, but yes I know her," Stefan says.
"Siv is amazing. The stuff she has done for Kol's line is incredible. She started so many businesses for us." She tells him.
"Business?" He asks confused.
"Yes hotels, restaurants, clubs, even blood banks. She has created us our own world within the current world," Lexi explains. "I've taken you to a few, but you probably didn't realize they use for the supernatural."
"Would you take me again?" He asks.
"After, I'm done earning my daylight ring, sure." She says.
"Kol's line gets their rings from Siv. She has rings and necklaces spelled with a few trusted vampires. They have Kol's line do tasks to better the line earning their ring. You can't request it they request from you. I get to earn mine finally." She explains.
Caroline walks over to me. "Hey Siv, when are you picking up Kal-EL?" She asks.
"You have my puppy?" I ask feeling guilty that I forgot him. I honestly thought Godric had him.
"Yeah, Godric said with the revolving door of visitors it wouldn't be good for Kal-EL, so he brought Kal to my place," she explains.
"He is a genius." I say. "In a few days, I can come get him. we have guest leaving shortly."
"Sounds good, not that I don't adore him. I just think he misses his home." She says.
"That's thoughtful of you." I say. We end our conversation and I head overo to the bar where Lexi is.
"I didn't know that you guys could drink," Elena says.
"There is a lot you do not know about vampires. They are much more then you can imagine." I reply.
"Alright, Siv. No need to be so deep." Lexi says, "But yeah, it helps curb the cravings, but makes for a lot of lushy vamps."
"You know, I've never seen Stefan drunk. He always seems so…" Elena trails off.
"Uptight?" Lexi offers, Elena nods.
"Yeah, but not with you," she says to Lexi disappointed.
Elena has known Stefan for maybe a week or two. It hasn't been very long. She needs to learn to relax a little bit. He has shared a big secret recently. But he is not entitled to share anything with her. Despite what she thinks. This is why I dislike doppelgangers.
"Well, that's the benefit of knowing someone for over one hundred years. You can just be yourself with them," I say smiling thinking of my Kol.
"Like you and Kol." Lexi says voicing my thoughts. "Alright Siv, you can go away." Lexi jokes laughing.
"I can see when I am unwanted," I joke back with a chuckle.
I walk away. I play some pool and walk around the Grill. I spot a very drunk Caroline, poor girl. Damon probably did something, hopefully Kal-EL can cheer her up a little bit. I see Sheriff inject Lexi with something. Lexi becomes limp and gets dragged out. I would hazard a guess that it is vervain.
"Oh my god!" Stefan cries quietly behind me.
"What is it?" Elena asks cluelessly. This doppelganger is really starting to get on my nerves.
I head out with Stefan. "Relax Stefan, I have a plan." I say concentrating on what's going on.
Lexi throws off the officers. They shoot her with wooden bullets. I put a shield around her heart so nothing can pierce it. I put it surrounding her heart touching it, so no one will believe anything is amiss. Stefan sees my hands moving quickly and hears me saying spells under my breath. He gives me a confused look, but I ignore it. now is not the time to be answering pointless questions. I stop and wait for the next step. Damon appears and stakes her. I wait for a second then desiccate her. Not long enough that the humans would notice, but long enough that the vampires if they thought about it would notice. Stefan walks away or tries to, looking defeated. Elena stops him to speak to him. I walk over when she finally walks away.
"I'm sorry about Lexi," I tell him.
"Thanks for trying to help her," he says still upset.
"Trying?" I question. "I succeeded. Think about what happened. Go over the event in your mind. Focus on the little details. You will find the answer." I walk away and head to the morgue.
I see Enzo people watching. He jogs human speed over to me.
"Where are you headed Siv?" He asks.
"To the morgue to go pick up Lexi," I say.
"What happened to her?" He asks surprised.
"I had to desiccate her."
"Why would you have to do that?"
"Damon, need I say more?" I reply with one eyebrow raised.
He shakes his head. We reach the morgue and I go change the paperwork to buried while he goes and grabs Lexi's body. We leave the morgue just as silently as we arrived.
"I don't like seeing her like this." Enzo says carrying Lexi, as we walk through the forest.
"I don't either. The sooner we get her to the house the sooner I can reverse the spell and send her and Vicki on their way. They both can not stay here. Especially with the counsel on suck high alert." I tell him. He nods agreeing.
We arrive at the hose and Vicki is sitting on the couch. She looks at Lexi in horror.
"Is that the woman meant to help me?" Vicki asks. Enzo nods. "And she's dead?"
"Deep breaths, Vicki. She isn't dead. She is just desiccated." I reply.
I start doing the spells to get her reanimated. Lexi is slowly gaining more color. Godric comes in with blood bags for both Lexi and Vicki. He must have been listening to our conversation. He hands one to Vicki to keep her from attacking Lexi for the blood.
"Good thinking about Kal-EL." I tell Godric.
"I thought having a new vampire in the house and a creature who holds running blood that can't defend himself might not be the best idea. I also, knew he would get lots of attention with Caroline. She adores him." Godric says.
"I think she needs him tonight anyways. So, it's a good thing he is there." I comment.
"Why do you think that?" Godric asks concerned.
"She seemed very drunk and upset. I believe Damon said something to upset her during Stefan's party." I say.
Lexi starts to wake up in that moment, so we all focus on her. I hand her a blood bag she drains it then I hand her the next. This goes on for a few more bags then she turns to me.
"Thank you, I don't know how you did it or why, but I won't question it." She says with a smile.
"Your story is not over yet. You have a lot more to accomplish. You have a daylight right to earn and a baby vampire to teach, for starters." I tell her. She smiles at that.
"Who's this?" She asks looking at Vicki.
"I'm Vicki," she introduces.
"So, you are the baby vamp I'm going to be teaching. I'm Lexi your sober sponsor." Lexi says. We all laugh.
"I do think you should send texts to your loved ones just to tell them the plan of you leaving town. We do not want to worry them." I say handing her a brand-new phone that I picked up earlier that day.
"This is for me?" She asks shocked,
"Yes, for you to keep in touch with your loved ones and friends." I tell her with a smile.
"I put Enzo's, and Godric's number in there if you needed to reach any one of us. I also added Matt's and Jeremy's. Because I knew you would want to keep in touch with them." I tell her.
"You know how to work a phone and know how to buy one. Why won't you carry one?" She asks.
"I imagine when my husband and I are reunited I will carry one, but I refuse to carry one till I know he can." I say with a far away look.
"You really miss him, don't you?" She asks.
"I very much do." I say.
"I can't wait to meet him. if he's half as good as you say he is he will be an incredible guy." She tells me with a smile.
"Thank you," I reply.
"What do you think I should say to them?" She asks.
"Say, you are heading out of town with your sober sponsor to find what you want to become. You want to learn who you are beyond the drugs." Lexi suggests.
"I would tailor it a small amount but that is the general premiss." I say.
"I'll tell Jeremy that I love him, and I'll be back. That I will keep in touch and I'm so proud of what he has accomplished in bettering himself so far. I can't wait to see what he has become when I visit." She says typing it out them showing it to us. We nod and she hits send.
"To Matt, I'll tell him not to worry. He won't be alone anymore. I will send him money and I can't wait to show him all I have learned when I come back." She types that out shows us and sends that out.
"Tyler I will tell him that we are done and I hope he finds a woman that he will treat like the Queen she deserves to be treated as." She sows us then sends that text out.
"Last I want to send one to Elena warning her to stop hurting her brother." Vicki suggests. She types is out then shows it to us.
"Looks good to me," Lexi says. Vicki sends the message.
"Is there anything you need at your house that you will want picked up?" I ask her.
"Yeah, a few pictures of mine. They are littered around my room. Also, the drawing Tyler drew for me." She says. Enzo runs out to get those. Matt will let him in or grab them for him.
She heads upstairs to pack suitcases with all the stuff we got for her. She only has a few suitcases, but it's more then enough. I head up a little time after to see how she is coming along. When I get there she is just sitting on her bed looking around the room.
"Thank you, Siv. For everything you have done." She says.
"I did not to anything." I tell her.
"You started it though. I would be dead if it wasn't for you." She says with a sad smile.
"You would have done incredible whether I was here or not. I have taught you nothing you did not already know." I say.
"You opened up your home to me and for that I am so grateful. I do hope I can make you proud." She says as we get up and walk towards the door.
Enzo walks in holding a small suitcase.
"Matt gave me some extra stuff he thought you might want." Enzo explains.
"Thanks Enzo." She says hugging him,
"You're welcome young one. Remember to call once in a while." He tells her.
She walks over to Godric and give him a hug thanking him. I head over to Lexi.
"Do well. Look after her. When you think she is ready I will send you both daylight jewellery. I will also send you one for your boyfriend, because I know he will be helping you." I tell her.
"That sounds perfect. I owe you so much Siv. I won't let you down." Lexi says with a sad smile.
"I won't let you down either. Not because of being able to walk in the daylight, but because I owe you, Godric, and Enzo more then I can ever repay. I know the best way I can repay you is by showing you that your teachings haven't gone to waste." Vicki says butting in.
"Call and Text," I tell them both.
"We will," Lexi says rolling her eyes. Lexi and Vicki, both give me a hug. Lexi quickly hugs Enzo and Godric, and they are off.
"Does it always feel this way?" Enzo asks feeling bittersweet imagine.
"Yes, it does. But you know it was for the best." I tell him.
All three of us go sit in the living room just taking in the silence surrounding us.