Alex

I can't believe I am back in Mystic Falls. I swore I left this place behind 150 years ago when I fled after being turned, but no. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; my family has the boarding house here.

But I am only back in this god forsaken town because my brother Stefan told me that there is someone that looks exactly like Katherine. Could this be a new Petrova Doppelganger? I have to see. I set my bag on the ground and knock on the door to the boarding house. After a moment Stefan answers the door.

"Hey Alex" he say, leaning in for a hug

"Hey Stefan" I say hugging him back. We both pull out of the hug and Stefan gestures for me to come in. Stefan looks exactly the same as always with his brown curly hair, green eyes, and average height (for this century anyway). I grab my bag and set it to the side in the foyer. We both go into the living room and head for opposite couches facing each other.

"Would you like a drink?" Stefan asks; pointing toward a table with a group of decanters filled with various spirits.

"Whiskey would be great" I say as I tuck the skirt of my dress and sit down.

Stefan heads toward the decanters. He grabs a glass and fills two fingers with the brown liquid. He comes back around, hands me the glass and then sits on the opposite couch facing me.

We are both quite. The silence is awkward. Why is it so awkward? Because we have hardly spoken in the last 80 years after he nearly got me killed, and not just transitioned into a vampire killed, but killed vampire killed.

I finally break the silence and ask about the reason I am here. "So, there is someone who looks like Katherine?"

"Yeah it's pretty uncanny" He pulls out his phone and makes his way toward me. After tapping the screen a few times he hands it to me. On the screen is a girl with brown eyes and hair. He is not wrong; she could be Katherine's identical twin. But she is in modern clothes, with Mystic Falls High School in the background, and she looks a little younger than Katherine was when Katherine was turned. This girl is obviously human from the photo, to those of us that know what to look for.

"Holy shit" I breathe, unable to believe what the photo shows. here really is a new doppelganger. This makes my life infinitely more complicated.

"I know" Stefan says "At first, I thought it was Katherine. That somehow she survived the fire and had come back to mystic falls. But after looking closer I see the differences"

"Have you talked to her?" I ask as I hand him his phone back. He grabs it and makes his way back to his seat.

"Yes, I have said hi. And enrolled in her school. Her name is Elena"

"You enrolled in high school?" I raise my eyebrows in disbelief

"Yeah, I need to be close to her. I need to learn more about her"

Freaking A. What is with my brothers and the Petrova doppelgangers? Seriously! It's like these doppelgangers have magic that makes my brothers instantly obsessed with them. This just makes my mision infinitely more complicated. Her existence has to be kept a secret from as many supernatural as possible. If it gets back to Klaus that she exists, she is as good as dead.

"How long are you staying Alex?" Stefan asks, changing the subject

"I am not sure"

"Well, of course you are free to have any of the rooms. And you're welcome here as long as you like. And, I also wanted to say…. I am sorry about what happened last time we were together. I nearly got you killed and it guts me" Stefan looks down at his drink, unable to meet my eyes, shame radiating off of him.

"It's been hard but I know you were not yourself, not really." I say

"It's not an excuse"

"Stefan" I wait until he looks up at me "I have moved on and so should you. Forever is a long time to hold a grudge. It's not the first time I faced death, and it won't be the last"

Stefan's eyes darken at that. "Alex, I am also sorry I was not there for you in 1865. Damon and I left you alone, because we thought that it would keep you safe. But we were wrong. All we did was take away two people who could have protected you. We left you vulnerable is so many ways" His eyes are shining with unshed tears.

"There was not much you could have done" I say truthfully. There was no way he could have protected me from Klaus. Because I would not have wanted the protection. I was in love with Klaus, and even planned to turn into a vampire to be with him forever.

"I never wanted you to become a vampire. To live a life in the shadows"

"Well, it has been over 150 years; I think we can let it go. Even vampires cannot change the past. We, like humans, can only move forward"

Stefan took a long deep breath, composing himself. "Your right"

"I am going to unpack" I say getting up

"Sure" Stefan nods

I grab my bag from the foyer and head to one of the guest rooms. It is not huge. But it has a bed, a dresser, a desk and a small closet. I made quick work of unpacking my things. I change out of my dress into jeans and a t-shirt. I put my blond hair into a pony tail and sit down on the bed.

Stefan going after Elena makes things infinitely more complicated for me. I can't tell Stefan why it is so important she be protected. That would mean telling him about Klaus and my history with him, something I have not done. It would mean telling them the details of how I became a vampire. I had not breached that subject with either of my brothers. I never wanted them to know my biggest humiliation. I was fooled and used by someone I thought loved me. In my darkest moments, I still wonder if Klaus thinks about me. I groan. This is getting me nowhere fast.

I lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Was coming back here a mistake? I don't know… but I am in this too deep to turn back now.