Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

04

Vervain tea.

She was 13 when she drank vervain for the first time out of curiosity. It tasted awful, bitter. Like she took a mouthful of grass and chewed it for hours. The after taste was the worst part as it clung to her taste buds for a long time and was impossible to wash away.

At least it smelled nice. Though that hardly made her feel better about the awful taste left in her mouth.

Swirling a spoonful of honey did nothing to help the flavour, matter of fact, it made it worse. The bitterness was still there and once the clear liquid is down her throat is that she barely tastes the honey. It tasted like she's drinking two different things at the same time and Alex hated it.

'Nasty.' She couldn't imagine having to do this for the rest of her life and she felt pity for those who had to. Seeing as their other choice was to be at the mercy of vampires and their compulsion, drinking vervain was a small sacrifice.

Alex was so caught up trying to contain her gag reflex that she didn't notice her father entering the kitchen.

"Vervain?" He asked, eyeing the plant as she jumped a bit startled, "Why are you drinking vervain?

Alex tilted her chin to the side, pointing to the opened journals laying on the counter top, "The Gilbert journals spoke about it. I wanted to know what the fuss was about. But I'm already regretting it." She said, scrunching her face at the cup in her hands before downing the rest.

He looked unconvinced, but with no indicator that she was lying, he'd let it go. "Make sure to wash your mouth with salt water after drinking it. It helps to get rid of the taste." He advised, turning to leave, he looked over his shoulder, "And don't believe everything you read in the journals. Your great grandpa was known to be a fiction writer."

"Will do. Thank you."

Alex washed the dishes before she stored the journals back in the boxes under the stairs knowing that she was running out of time since she was supposed to be helping her mom with the Historical Society tea party.

'Yikes.'

Alex had no interest in it, but since she was a quiet child and did as told, her mother often asked her to join her in the "organisation" of these events. Though she was mostly stuck on cleaning duty or as an errand girl. At first Alex had been reluctant to continuing assisting them, the idea of running around following the historical society members wasn't appealing to her until she started to grow closer with Mrs. Lockwood. When she wasn't helping her mom Alex could be found trailing after Carol, mostly asking the woman harmless questions about Mystic Falls and its history.

Her reasoning behind this was that it helped her build connections with not only Carol but with the rest of the members as well. Since Alex was a well behaved child that was interested in her town's history, she was their dream child, but not enough to confess their dirty secrets though, but at least she could earn their trust little by little.

In her wishful thinking, Alex hoped that by doing this, she could be included in their future meetings, though she knew it would be most likely impossible thanks to her young age compared to the rest of them, but it never hurt to try and who knows, she might make a few allies, just in case she needed them.

Carol Lockwood was a perfectionist to the point of obsession. The mansion was filled with the sound of people moving around furniture and conversing excitedly, and somehow Carol's heels were louder as she rushed around her home, supervising the helpers and making sure everyone and everything was placed where she wanted it to be.

The woman had a soft spot for Alex as her face brightened once she spotted them near the double doors entrance.

Carol hurried to their side with a welcoming smile and a clipboard tucked under her arm, "Miranda, I'm so glad you're here! I'm about to lose my head!" She exaggerated dramatically, clearing her throat she looked down at Alex, "Hello Alexandra, I'm glad you could join us today as well." She greeted the older Gilbert girl.

"I wouldn't dare to miss it, Mrs. Lockwood. I really do enjoy helping when I can." She said, smiling.

Carol was very pleased with her answer and turned to address Miranda, "Isn't she a sweetheart? I wish my Tyler was as involved in our community as your girl is." She lamented and turned to Alex then, "If you keep this us you're going to be elected Little Miss Mystic Falls!"

'Never in a million years. That's more of a Caroline thing and I've seen enough toddlers & tiaras to know I want nothing to do with beauty pageants.'

"It would be an honour to participate this year, but I would prefer to wait for Elena to be older so we can do it together," Alex's humble reply made Carol beam with delight and her mother's proud expression told her that she agreed too.

The woman patted her head, "Of course, sweetie. I look forward to both of your nominations next year." She said, "Miranda, can you take care of the exhibition? This year we'll be displaying some new pieces the Ryder's found in their attic and I need someone to supervise if they're in proper condition to be shown to the public."

"I'm on it." Miranda nodded, facing her daughter, "Why don't you go help with the cleaning?" She suggested.

"Yes ma'am!" Alex gave her a mock salute that made her mother roll her eyes, "Call me when it's time to leave!"

Twenty minutes later, Alex was busy polishing one of the invaluable pieces Mrs. Lockwood had mentioned. It was a vanity, originally white in colour but time had given it a yellowish coat that she was currently trying to scrub off with gentle motions.

Alex was sweating by the time she's halfway done, now wiping the mirror with circular motions using a piece of fabric when she spotted a familiar face reflected on the mirror.

'Mason Lockwood.' Her mind supplies for her.

She paused, looking over her shoulder to get a better look. He's leaning on the stairs rails, excitedly talking to Tyler before he doubled over with laughter at something his nephew had said.

Alex watched them for another second before returning to her task. There's no point in talking to Mason now or even bothering to meet him, ever. He has yet to trigger his curse and even if he had, he is of no use to her.

'Unless he is used to lift the sun and moon curse-'

Alex halted with that thought, horrified, she dropped the fabric, turning to leave, she muttered a quick excuse to those around her before she stumbled to reach the gardens.

Breathless, Alex plopped herself down on a bench facing the lake. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to put herself together. She was too disgusted with her previous thoughts, ashamed that she even dared to refer to Mason like that, like he didn't matter. Like he wasn't real.

He was a living person! Not a pawn in her twisted game of 'fix the plot' or whatever she was playing at. This is not who she was and Alex was too afraid to discover if she had become too self absorbed with her own agenda that she now dismissed any one that wasn't important to the main story-line without a second thought.

What was she doing?

Was she even living? Was she even enjoying her second chance at life with a loving family that cared for her and with magical powers that she never dreamed of having?

'No.'

She had been plotting her moves since the moment she arrived and realised her situation. Were her relationships genuine or were they built under false pretences based on their convenience to the plot? Did she even love her family-Caroline? Or did she care for them because they mattered to the plot?

Her head was throbbing with a headache that threatened to split her skull open. She had far too many questions and no answers to give herself for comfort. She didn't even attempt to use her magic to relieve her pain, part of her thinks she deserved it.

Every single one of her actions had been coldly calculated, every little thing that could go wrong had been taken into account and that made her wonder, if her words were too? If she was lying to her family when she told them I love you or when she comforted Caroline not long ago. Did she initiate their friendship based on her relevance?

God, she wanted to hurl herself on the lake and forget about everything. Alex felt like an awful person who used others to achieve her goals. This had never been her intention, she just wanted to help and on her selfless path, she had lost herself.

Alex had no idea how to move forth, should she even continue with her plan?

When the time came, would she be willing to sacrifice others for the sake of her cause?

Alex didn't have an answer and part of her didn't want to hear it.

Her phone ringer went off, bringing her back to reality.

'Care bear.' She read the name on the screen. Alex sighed before she swiped her thumb across to answer the call.

"Hey-"

"You're never going to guess what just happened!" Caroline's excited shout cut her off. Not waiting for an answer, she spoke again, "Dereck asked me out!"

Alex snorted, a grin on her lips, "Really? Did he finally realise that he needed to do more than give you heart eyes to start dating?" She joked.

Caroline giggled, "We're going out tonight and I need you in my house asap." She said, "I have no idea what to wear and I need a second opinion."

Alex rolled her eyes, "You just want someone to tell you how pretty you look."

"True. But I still need you. Pretty please!" She begged, and Alex knew she was pouting.

She growled, pretending to be annoyed, "Alright, alright. Just let me tell my mom and I'll be on my way."

"You're the best! Love ya." Caroline yelled and hung up.

Alex still had her phone pressed on her ear, replaying Caroline's parting words on her head over and over again like a broken record before a sob escaped her.

Alex had felt genuinely happy for her friend. Caroline had been flirting with Dereck for quite a while now, complaining about him not making the first move and questioning his 'love' for her and Alex had stayed by her side through all of it, listening and advising the girl as best as she could when she didn't have to.

She had done it because she wanted it to. Because she wanted to see her friend happy, Caroline's crush and her actions had nothing to do with the main plot.

Alex's laughter mixed with her sobs, anyone passing by would think she had lost her mind and maybe they would be right. But she felt better now, Caroline had helped her realise that while she did based some of her relationship under their relevance to the story, Alex had grown to care for them and she had realised her mistake with Mason before any harm could be done, hadn't she?

She wiped her tears and took a deep breath, marching towards the house to find her mom to let her know she was leaving.

Alex was sprawled like a starfish on Caroline's bed, watching as the blonde emptied her closet in a frenzy to find the perfect outfit. She had already modelled seven different outfits for Alex and the witch still thought that outfit number two was the best one of them all. A simple baby pink cotton tank top, a white cardigan and jeans. Very casual and very appropriate for a bowling date but for some reason Caroline wanted to go all out and wear all of her clothes to make sure she didn't miss the perfect fit by accident.

The blonde twirled around, an expectant expression on her face, "Okay, what about this one?" She asked, showcasing the dress she was wearing.

"Didn't you show me this outfit already?"

Caroline growled, throwing her arms in the air in surrender, "I did!" She jumped on the bed next to her friend in defeat. She let out a tired sigh before her mood did a 180 as she turned to ask with a flirty smile on her face, "Enough about me!" She rested her face on her palm, "What about you?"

Alex frowned, "What about me?" She retorted, already knowing what her friend meant.

Caroline sighed exasperated, "You know what I mean! Devon has been giving you heart eyes for so long!" She stated and Alex growled, smacking her with a pillow, "Hey! I'm telling the truth here. Maybe when he asks you out we can go on a double date... Dereck and I... you and Devon."

She shook her head, "Absolutely not." She said, disgusted. She had no interest in dating a 14 years old boy and she let her friend know as much.

"Aha! So you like older men." She concluded, her mind occupied by a list of names of older boys Alex would like, "How about, Randall? He's a sophomore I think, perfect for you!"

A 15 years old was also out of the question. "I'm not really into teenage boys."

"Oh, how scandalous!" She giggled, earning herself another pillow smack that made her laugh harder, "Alright then, tell me. Who do you like?"

Alex shrugged, dismissing her question, "I don't like anybody. I like my single life."

Caroline was unsatisfied, "C'mon, Alex. Give me something here!" She pleaded with a pout.

'Gosh, she's never going to shut up about it.' Alex thought, briefly considering just blurting out a name to appease her.

"I'm being honest, Care bear. I have zero interest in boys at the moment. Aren't you running late for your date?"

"Fine! Be that way." She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting.

Gosh, it was going to be a long night.

(...)

Despite Alex's earlier reservations, somehow she ended up as a contestant in the beauty pageant, Little Miss Mystic Falls for girls ages 13 to 16. If the pageant had been held two months from now, Elena would have been able to participate and suffer along with Alex.

The three Gilbert girls were currently stationed in one of the many rooms at the Lockwood Mansion helping Alex to get ready.

Elena was sitting on the bed while her mother did her hair, pulling, brushing and straightening, Miranda did a half up half down on Alex's hair.

Her hair was already straight as it was but for some reason Miranda was trying to make it look as smooth as silk and failing miserably as her hairs stood up thanks to the static.

Miranda huffed, lowering the straightener and sprayed some hair spray on the stubborn hairs, "Elena," she called the younger girl, unknowingly lowering the straightener a little too close to her daughter's ear when Alex hissed, jumping away from her mom's confused expressions.

Alex massaged the tender spot on her skin, "You burned me!"

"Sorry, hon. Get back on the chair I'm almost done. Elena, get the dress, would you?"

Alex eyed the door behind, her only escape from this madness. Her foot twitched, ready to make a run for it and lock herself in the bathroom when it creaked open and a smiling Carol entered the room holding two flutes of champagne. She handed one to Miranda, who gratefully accepted it before sitting by the bed, next to Elena.

"How are we going with the preparations? Are you nervous, Alex?" She asked, "I suppose you are, considering this is your first time."

'And the last one if I have any say on it.'

Alex dared one last look at the door before resigning herself and walking back to the vanity, "I'm doing fine, I guess. I haven't thought much about the whole thing. I'm more concerned about not tripping while dancing."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Carol reassured her, taking a small sip from her drink she turned to Elena, "And what about you, Elena? Aren't you looking forward to participating next year?"

Alex bit her lips to prevent herself from cursing when Miranda grazed her skin again with the straightener.

"Sorry."

Elena gave a sympathetic look to her sister that Alex saw reflected on the mirror, "Nope. I don't like pageants."

"That's a pity, honey. It would've been fun to have you both participate next year."

Miranda made a sound of agreement, "She still has time to change her mind but it is up to her if she wants to do it or not."

Alex almost whipped her head in her mother's direction, her indignation clear as day in her face. She had been coaxed into participating by the two women in the room without having much of a say in it. Though the experience wasn't as bad as she expected, Alex was positive she wouldn't be doing it again, no matter the amount of persuasions she gets subjected to.

Miranda had been more lenient with her, telling her to do it at least once, 'don't knock it until you try it!' She had basically said to her daughter. Carol had been pretty much the same story, though her methods were less subtle as she arrived at the Gilbert house to give Alex an inscription form 'just in case she wanted to give it a try.' They both looked so expectantly and giddy that Alex had no other choice but to agree and let them drag her to the mall to buy a dress and then to the dance practice where as soon as Alex announced she didn't have a partner, an annoyed Tyler Lockwood was shoved into her arms by his smiling mother.

It was almost as if Carol was trying to set them up...

'How funny... Tyler and I. Totally not happening!'

It stopped being funny once Carol commented how cute they looked together and Alex screamed on the inside as she tried to understand what she'd done to earn the woman's adoration.

'Golden child, duh! I was literally trailing after her like a lost puppy , kissing her ass. No wonder she wants to set me up with her son.'

Carol spoke then, "A little birdie told me that you were one of the favourite candidates for the crown." She giggled, finishing her champagne. Cheeks red and eyes a little glossy.

Miranda was beaming with pride, adding the last finishing touch to her hair, a sparkling band.

Looking back to address her friend, "And who told you that, Carol?" Miranda asked.

Said woman just shrugged, barely hiding her excitement, "I have my ways."

"How am I one of the favourites? I didn't even want to do it in the first place." Alex said, shifting uncomfortably on her seat.

Carol's mouth opened in surprise before she laughed, "Oh dear, you truly have no idea!" She said smiling, shaking her head as she stood to stand behind Alex, placing her hands over the girl's shoulders, "All of this time you've been doing charity work helping around the committee and you didn't even know it!"

"I just wanted to help my mom and learn more about our town's history." Alex explained weakly.

Elena shook her head, a small playful smile on her face as she pitied her sister.

"I know, and that's exactly what got you in the top three! You did all of that because you wanted to. Not because you wanted to win brownie points with the judges."

'Aww fuck, if you only knew what my true intentions were. You wouldn't be looking at me like that.'

Carol continued, unaware of Alex's inner conflicts, "... And if I didn't know any better I would've believed you were trying to launch your political career!" She joked.

Alex gave her a tight lipped smile when Elena came to the rescue.

"Can I help Alex with her dress?"

Miranda paused, contemplating her answer for a bit, "I don't see why not. That way we all get to help your sister on her big day." She agreed, finally walking to the wardrobe to retrieve the dress.

Alex blew one of the locks of hair framing her face before standing up and following Elena to the bathroom. The plan of hiding there crumpled and vanished out of her mind with her little sister's presence.

The door clicked shut and Elena's demeanour shifted. She gripped Alex's shoulder, and with an urgency never heard before, she spoke, "You have to win."

Taken aback, Alex's forehead creased, "I have to- what? Why?" She inquired, half whispering and half yelling, fully aware of the women at the other side of the door, "I don't even want to be here!"

"Wendy is one of the contestants. She's been bragging about winning for a while now."

It made sense then, that Elena asked that of her. Wendy Edwards was the definition of a bully, she was as much of a bitch as a 13 years old was allowed to be. The brunette was in Elena's class since the beginning of middle school and had made it her life mission to make everyone's life a living hell, especially Caroline's, after her parents divorce, Wendy had spent the rest of the school year teasing the blonde and calling her father names and making fun of her situation.

Alex hated her.

Wendy was a bitch but Alex was petty and she would be very embarrassed if she lost against a bunch of tweens.

"Consider it done."

Alex stood by the other contestants, smiling as she waited for her name to be called when she caught sight of her reflection in one of the many mirrors adorning the walls. She must admit Carol had a good eye for clothes as the lila dress she wore was ten times better that the olive green her mother had insisted she wore as it was the one Miranda wore when she won.

Alex wasn't about to start a tradition and condemn Elena to it if she were to participate next year. Thankfully, neither was Mrs. Lockwood and that's how Alex found herself dressed in the lovely dress. The fabric was light and soft, seeming to sparkle under the many lights above her. The spaghetti straps gave her room to move her arms freely for the dance and the length was enough to not trip her when she walked. Her look was completed with a pair of silver sandals that made her look taller than she was without affecting her mobility and lastly, she wore a pair of earrings courtesy of her late great grandma Lucy along with her silver bracelet.

"Just so you know," Wendy said to her, "I'm going to win." She tossed her hair over her shoulder like a true diva, side eyeing Alex like one would to an insect, "So don't even bother trying."

The girl looked adorable with her yellow dress that resembled the one Belle wore, though the colour was several shades off as it was lighter than the original. Alex had no doubt in her that the puffy skirt would be getting in her way for the dance. She almost fell sorry for Wendy for she was about to have a hard time moving in that dress. If she weren't such a horrible little girl, Alex might warn her about it or let her know that her red lipstick had stained her teeth.

"Shut the fuck up, Wendy."

The girl's jaw clenched as her fist tightened by her side, preparing a response that she never voiced.

"Please, give a round of applause for Madeline Evans!" A male voice spoke from downstairs.

Wendy planted a fake smile and in a true Regina George way, she said to Alex, "I love your dress by the way." Before muttering, "Too bad you're not cute enough to pull it off."

Alex was still smiling, "Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

Wendy huffed, obviously annoyed, "It doesn't matter if you're Mrs. Lockwood personal ass kisser. I'm going to win. Mark my words."

Alex rolled her eyes.

"...Now, let's give it up for Alexandra Gilbert!"

"Gotta go." Alex said cheerfully, and unable to contain herself, "And by the way, your teeth are stained with lipstick."

Wendy panicked, using her tongue to clean her teeth before Alex giggles froze her. With whatever dignity she had left, she smoothed down her pale yellow dress and fixed her posture. She was a winner and winners don't let themselves be fooled by losers like the Gilbert girl.

Alex descended the stairs, back straight and chin high with confidence as her hand trailed down the rail. She locked eyes with Tyler, who was waiting for her by the end of the stairs like her dutiful partner, looking a little nervous as he watched her.

Alex made a show of blushing when she saw him, using her embarrassing memories as a trigger. She smiled shyly as their arms locked to completely sell her act.

"Looking good, Lockwood." She commented, bringing him out of his stupor.

He grunted, "Shut it, Gilbert."

Alex smirked, "Oh Alex, you look so beautiful today. I'm so glad my mother forced me to be your partner." She said in a fake deep voice to tease him as they made their way outside for the dance, before they parted, Alex leaned in to whisper, "I want to crush Wendy's dreams of winning. Will you help me?"

Tyler stared at her, unsure if he heard her right and then he remembered how awful Wendy was. With a lopsided smirk, he released her, "I'm in."

Alex fell into position, standing in front of Tyler as Wendy joined her side.

Alex won. Even though she had been actively trying to earn the crown through the day, she was still surprised when they called her name. Of course she won, it was to be expected seeing as she was the only one to not stutter out her answers. She had practically set herself for it, with her smooth answers and her excellent performance on the dance floor.

The crowd cheered as she stepped forward to accept the bouquet of flowers and the crown placed on top of her head. She spotted her parents in the crowd, standing on the first row clapping and cheering loudly for her with Elena and Jeremy who were screaming as well.

She dared to take a look at Wendy, whose fuming face brought her great joy. Alex winked at her, turning back to face the crowd, ignoring the piercing green eyes that glared at her from the back.

Alex waved stiffly like she'd seen the misses do on the T.V, a bright smile on her face, she enjoyed her moment of victory.

(...)

A week after the whole beauty pageant thing was over with, the Gilbert household was roped yet again into another competition, just that this time it was Jeremy's turn. He had been summoned to participate in their dojo annual state competition by their sensei Mr. Ayano.

Alex was a decent fighter but her brother was in a completely different league hence why he was called to represent their dojo. This only motivated her to work harder on her technique and hopefully one day be on his level. She knew this could only be achieved with hard work and lots of training like Jeremy had done.

Alex had no one to blame but herself since she was aware she wasn't dedicating much time to practice the martial art since she already had some much on her plate with her endurance training and her magic studies not to mention school work and her social life, she rarely had time to practice.

Though her sweet little brother had promised to help her in his free time. Bless him.

The Gilbert household was filled with the sound of what could only be described as girl talk as both sisters recruited their friends to help them with a banner to cheer on Jeremy. Also, they wanted to hangout and Elena wanted her sister to meet her best friend, Bonnie. It always struck the brunette as weird how her older sister always seemed to be out of the house whenever her friend came to visit. But now, after so long they have finally coincided.

"Bonnie! Come in," Elena greeted enthusiastically, urging her friend inside, ''We were waiting for you to start."

"Sorry, I got a little busy helping my grandma and lost track of time." Bonnie apologised sheepishly.

"That's alright. Isn't that late anyways." Elena flashed her a smile, looping their arms together, "Come meet my sister!" She said, tugging the girl along to the living room where Alex and Caroline were busy spreading the large banner across the floor.

"Alex," Elena called, "This is Bonnie." She introduced, "Bonnie this is my sister, Alex." Caroline fake coughed, "And Caroline, who you already know."

"Nice to finally meet you, Bonnie. My sister talks a lot about you." Alex greeted as said girl gave a shy wave in return.

"Hey Bonnie. Come sit!" The blonde scooped aside, patting the spot next to her.

Alex smiled pleasantly at the nervous girl who returned the gesture as she sat next to Caroline.

Inwardly, Alex sighed as a memory flashed on her mind.

Several days later after her 'rebirth' situation had settled in, Alex had come up with a set of rules that she was to follow, or try to, during her life. Though most of them were more like suggestions if she were to be honest.

The first one was one she had to constantly remind herself of, 'You can't save everyone. You're not a wonder woman and casualties are bound to happen even if you interfere.'

The second rule was along the same lines, 'You can't be present at every important event and don't put yourself in situations you have no knowledge of.'

Last but no least was, 'Don't try to force a relationship with people. Some of them are bound to dislike you and that's okay.

Alex had also made the, 'Don't infiltrate your little sister's friends group because that's pathetic. Find your own friends.' rule. But that went out the window when she met Caroline years ago and now Bonnie. So it didn't count anymore.

"Bonnie, are you okay with painting duty?" Elena asked.

"I'm fine with anything, really."

"Painting it is!" Caroline beamed, "Alex, give her a brush."

"Sure thing, boss. Here you go-" Alex halted when their fingers brushed and Bonnie withdrew her hand like she had been burnt.

The third rule echoed around her head.

'Don't try to force a relationship with people. Some of them are bound to dislike you and that's okay.'

Even though she was aware of that fact, it still hurt when Bonnie flinched away from her. She was so looking forward to meeting the Bennett witch properly and talking beyond the greeting pleasantries they exchanged when they inevitably ran into each other.

Bonnie's eyes had widened as she dropped the brush, staining the cream coloured carpet of their home. Caroline's shriek brought the witch back to reality, and trying to appear calm, she gave Elena an apologetic smile, "Sorry. My hand slipped." She explained lamely.

Elena accepted the explanation easily as she was more worried about removing the stain before it dried, "Is okay, Bonnie. It was an accident." She said absentmindedly, hurrying to the kitchen, searching the lower cabinets for cleaning products.

Alex looked down at her hand where they had made contact. The area was tingling, like tiny needles were poking at her skin at the same time. She flexed her fingers in an attempt to get rid of the feeling when Caroline cleared her throat by her side.

"Earth to Alex!" She waved a hand over her face, "Are you with us?"

Alex blinked slowly, lowering her hand, "Yeah, sorry. Got a little distracted."

"A little?" Caroline retorted incredulously, "I've been trying to catch your attention for so long!" She complained and gestured to the banner laying on the floor, "I was asking your opinion about something important."

Alex sobered up immediately, she inched closer to the blonde, "About what?"

Caroline smiled brightly as she held up two pots of glitter for Alex to see, "Red or gold?" She asked.

Alex shook her head, a small smile on her lips, "Gold." She grabbed the container and unscrewed the lid, "Bonnie, get the glue. Elena, grab a broom. This is going to get messy." She ordered, regaining her composure.

Bonnie couldn't even meet her eyes but did as told, "Should I cover all the words?" She asked, looking down at the 'Go Jeremy! #TeamGilbert!' banner.

Elena quipped, "Eh, No. I don't think so. We should do one at a time."

They did exactly that, dividing themselves in pairs to work faster. Elena and Alex sat on one end, working on showering the letter 'G' with gold sparkles as Bonnie and Caroline did the same on the other end.

Elena and Caroline carried most of the conversations as Bonnie was still bothered by their interaction and Alex didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she already was.

For the life of hers, Alex couldn't figure out what had happened when they touched. The Bennett witch had the ability to get glimpses of a person past actions, didn't she? Was Bonnie able to see something about her past? But what could it be? Alex hadn't done anything that could elicit this reaction out of her, besides stealing from one of the most influential families in town and talking to her direct ancestor and hundreds of witches... being a witch herself... who also happened to be from another world...

Alex bit the inside of her cheek, conflicted about what to do next.

She couldn't just go and confess the truth about her family to Bonnie, that was something her grandma had to do and Bonnie wasn't ready to learn the truth right now and besides, even if she wanted to, Alex had promised her parents she wouldn't tell anyone else her little secret. Her parents were all too aware of how those who were rumoured to be witches were treated so for hers and her family safety, it was decided that Elena and Jeremy would remain in the dark for the time being.

Caroline slapped her forehead, loudly exclaiming, "Oh shot! I completely forgot to tell you." She said to Alex, "Dereck told me that Devon told him if I could ask you to go on a double date with us next weekend. Isn't that great?!"

Elena snorted, a teasing grin bloomed on her face, "Is that so?" She asked her sister, "You didn't tell me you liked Devon."

Surprisingly, Bonnie came to her defence, "Eww! Isn't he the one that licked the swings seats last summer?" She inquired, "You possibly can't have a crush on him?" She asked Alex.

Alex made a face of disgust, "He didn't even have a chance before but now I'm not even going to talk to him. Who licks things because they want to?"

"It was a dare." Came Elena's amused reply and then her face scrunched, "But yes, that was nasty."

"Wait till you hear about what he did in the boys bathroom last week." Bonnie added, sprinkling glitter on the '!'.

Caroline fake gagged, "Nasty!"

Alex's head snapped in her direction, "Why did you even want to set me up with him in the first place? You're obviously aware of his questionable tendencies. Do you secretly hate me or something?"

The blonde gave a nervous laugh, "Well, I didn't know he was that bad but-"

Bonnie cut her off, "You were there when he licked the seat." She reminded her and Caroline glared at her.

"Like I was saying," another glared was directed at Bonnie, "Dereck asked me to do it as a favour and you know he is Devon's best friend since the womb and stuff and he has a thing for you and wanted to ask you out but since you're a grade above us he hasn't had a chance. If it helps, he thinks you're the prettiest girl he'd ever seen!"

"Still not dating him." Alex said in a sing-song voice, "Though, I'm flattered. I'm glad to know other people appreciate my beauty."

Elena rolled her eyes, amused, "If you're done being egocentric, can you add another layer of glue? The first one dried up when we were talking about your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Alex scoffed, when an idea struck her, "But enough about me, I think it's time we talk about whatever's going on between you and Matt."

Her sister blushed deeply, before stuttering an answer, "W-what a-about him? We're just friends."

Bonnie smirked, "Friends don't kiss each other."

Alex bursts out laughing at the same time Caroline did.

The blonde was the first to recover, "So, is he a good kisser?"

Elena looked down shyly, playing with a loose thread on her shirt, "I'm not answering that."

Once they were done laughing at her sister's expense, the girls made quick work to finish their task before nightfall. Alex stuck around till the last moment until the girls were standing at the threshold ready to leave, hoping to interact more with Bonnie without being seen as pushy.

Though it didn't exactly go as planned as the girl seemed determined to talk as little as possible with her.

Alex wasn't particularly disappointed by this... okay, she was but she couldn't force Bonnie to like her. She could only hope that when the time came, Bonnie would be able to trust her and accept her help.

Both girls were long gone when the sisters were done tidying the place. Glitter was a bitch to get rid off and Alex swore she was going to be finding it around the house for years to come. Elena was vacuuming the carpet as Alex fixed them both dinner when the entrance door burst open and Aunt Jenna rushed in, slamming the door behind her.

She'd obviously been crying, judging by the redness around her eyes.

Jenna's body was shaking with anger as her gaze zeroed on her nieces, "Where's your mother?" She asked through gritted teeth.

Elena and her exchanged a look before she answered, "She's at work. Is everything okay?"

"The walking trash bag that I used to call my boyfriend cheated on me!" She said with a broken voice, plopping down on the couch as she hid her face behind her palms to sob loudly.

Alex turned off the stove and covered the pot of mac n cheese for later consumption. There were more pressing matters at the moment.

Both girls were confused as neither of them knew how to deal with the situation at hand.

Alex motioned her sister to come closer and whispered into her ear, "Call mom and tell her Aunt Jenna needs her." Jenna sobbed louder and Alex grimaced before adding, "Urgently."

Elena nodded and grabbed the house phone before going upstairs.

Alex went to her aunt's side, "Mom should be here soon. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly, resting a hand over Jenna's shoulder, "It might help a bit to get it out, unless you prefer to wait for my mom?"

After a breathy sigh, she nodded weakly, "He cheated on me. With my best friend of all people!"

"Monica?"

Jenna growled, her anger rising at the mention of the name, "Yes, Monica." She spat the name, "I was passing by the park and saw them exchanging saliva near the fountain. Can't believe the nerve of that man! To do it out in public! He was asking- begging me to see him!"

Elena came back downstairs and gave her sister a meaningful nod before taking a seat next to her aunt, "He didn't deserve you," she comforted, rubbing small circles on her Aunt's back, "You're better off without him."

"You think?" Jenna asked in a small voice.

Alex hummed in approval, "Elena's right. He was just wasting your time. There's plenty of fish in the sea, you just happened to catch a bad one."

Jenna snorted, "Well, I'm not interested in going fishing any time soon."

'I hope so, auntie. Let us hope you don't decide to go for uncle John this time around.'

"You know what makes me angrier?" Jenna asked and not waiting for an answer, she continued, "I almost gave up my scholarship to stay in this godforsaken town with him!" She shrieked, jumping from her spot on the couch to start pacing around the living room.

Both sister shared another look, neither knew how to dealt with their Aunt's rapid mood changes, one moment she was sad and the other she was back with her seething rage-

Jenna started sobbing as she continued her pacing.

'Or crying.'

She leaned to the side to whisper to Elena, "How long for mom to come home?"

Elena whispered back, "Don't know. She said she was going to stop first at the bakery for a chocolate cake but I have no idea-"

"Are you two talking about me?" Jenna interrupted them.

Alex gave a nervous smile, "Of course not! We where-"

The door opened then and their mom finally arrived to save the day, carrying two boxes with the name 'Polly's bakery' printed on the side. The smell of baked goods grew stronger as her mother reached the living room, even Jenna had to pause at the smell.

"What's that?" Their aunt inquired, sniffing as she rushed to her sister's side.

Miranda smiled, "I made a quick stop to grab your favourite chocolate bomb cake from Polly's." Her face softened, "Elena told me what happened."

Jenna grabbed the box and went to the kitchen to grab a spoon before digging on the cake all by herself.

Their mom let her be, "I'm glad I got one for us." Miranda gulped and turned to face Alex, "How bad is it?"

"He cheated on her with her friend." She said loud enough for her mom to hear.

Miranda winced, "I thought he was going to be the one. They seemed so in love."

"Yeah, but it's a good thing he showed his true colours now and not after a wedding and babies."

Jenna paused her eating, the corners of her mouth stained with chocolate, "I can hear you all."

Miranda gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Jen. But Alex is right. Better now than in ten years."

Jenna sighed, deflated, "Yeah, I guess so."

(...)

I've decided to update once a week since it's easier for me to do it that way.

Yay!

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm very impressed with the positive response this is getting!

Special thanks to: KaiHiwatari84, guest, WarriorofMyth, That One Person, Siegrain-Black, narwalass21 gmail. com, Guest, flawsome4ever, A little stupid.

Please keep those lovely reviews coming! They truly make my day and motivate me.

Take care everyone! See ya in a few days.