Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

08

A little compulsion never hurt nobody.

Alex tapped her pencil rapidly on her open notebook as her biology teacher, Mr. Harris rambled about Mendel's law, drawing an asymmetric square on the whiteboard to explain punnett squares.

Alex glanced out of the window, noticing the first signs of the approaching holidays as the oranges leaves started to fall with a sudden breeze that blew past the trees, startling a murder of crows from its branches.

How she wished to be in bed, curled up in her favourite blanket admiring the view from her window. She stared longingly for a few more seconds before her attention was drawn back to the only person who was excited at this early hour.

Mr. Harris was a bit of a weird man, just a little too passionate about his teaching subject, but he was okay compared to others teachers, like Tanner for example, or Mrs. Flowers from chemistry. They were a nightmare to dealt with. Particularly Tanner, when he was in one of his sadistic moods... which was almost every day.

Alex hated the man. At first, she had foolishly believed that he wouldn't be so bad, that all she had to do was stay quiet and write her notes and she'd remain under his radar. She had been wrong, Tanner made no exceptions. Under his judgemental eyes, they were all equally stupid and deserving of his verbal beatings.

A small part of her, the one she refused to acknowledge, couldn't wait for Damon to show up.

Alex shook her head at the thought, once again trying to concentrate on Mr. Harris teachings.

His bald head shined as he moved around the classroom, the yellow light bulb above reflected on it like a tiny sun as he went from one end of the whiteboard to another, filling it with lots of information about the subject.

Alex wrote some of it before she found herself staring at the person sitting in front of her, on the following row. More especially at the book in her hands. Juno's bright bleach blonde hair stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of 'normal' hair colour that surrounded her. That and the fact she was dressed like she went into the forest at spooky hours to sacrifice animals for fun made her stick out from any crowd. Dressed all black from head to toes plus the thick, spiked platforms she wore, Juno looked like a cartoon character. A really cool one.

Alex squinted her eyes, trying to decipher what she was reading about but found it impossible due to the distance. She could only make out the drawing that had caught her attention to begin with. She had seen it before, long ago, in another reality when she lived a different life.

'An alchemy symbol.' Alex mind supplied the information with ease. That might've been years ago, but she still remembered.

She stared for another second, promising to look into it later on. Once she was free from making the goddamned rings.

Alex suppressed a long, tired sigh, sinking further into her seat.

The rings were a headache to make and yet, she refused to give up. Emily had told her many, many times that it was pointless, the spell she created was as good as it was going to get.

'You can't shorten their time on the other side,' the witch had told her not long ago, 'Is not up to you, or us, to change that.'

'Just watch me.' She had exploded back.

Alex had left after that and hadn't returned since, embarrassed with her outbursts. Emily was an experienced witch, she had hundreds of years of experience under her belt. Compared to her, or to any of the witches she knew, Alex was a novice.

She knew all of that, and was painfully aware of it. But admitting defeat was not something she could afford. Her family's safety depended on it. The clock was ticking, the year would be coming to an end in less than a month and a half and with that, came the date of her parents' accident.

This time, she released a sigh.

'And after that, everything will go downhill.'

But she had an idea, something she had thought about recently and wanted to check with Emily to get the green light before she attempted anything.

The rings were ready in a way, so she felt pressured to hurry up and finish her part.

Her father had taken care of his part a while ago, commissioning a well known jeweller from another town with the task of replicating his family's ring down to every detail, providing the instructions Jonathan Gilbert had left on his journals to get the best result and a perfect canvas to be infused with her magic. Needless to say, it wasn't cheap.

Someone shouted down the hall and the whole classroom snapped their heads towards the door in anticipation. Soft murmurs could be heard around the room as everyone wondered the same.

"What was that?" Mr. Harris was the one to voice their thoughts aloud.

"I think it was a scream," Mike answered, unsure, looking to his friend for confirmation.

"Yeah, I heard it too." Parker nodded as he spoke, "It came from down the hall."

At his words, the murmurs grew louder as they all spoke at the same time.

"The chem lab is that way, isn't it?" Madeline looked over her shoulder to ask Alex, "You think there was an accident?"

"Like someone dropped some crazy chemical in their hand and it melted off?" Juno smirked, leaning back into her seat, folding her arms behind her head without a care.

"Don't say something like that so lightly!" Madeline admonished, horrified at the idea of some poor student being hurt.

Alex's brows pulled together, "I don't think that was a pained scream." She commented, gaze glued to the door.

Mr. Harris was peering out of it, making sure his students wouldn't get a proper view of whatever was happening when he finally spotted the cause of the sudden ruckus that ruined his morning.

"Mr. Tanner?" He asked, stepping out, glancing around the otherwise empty hall, "What's going on?"

"I'm quitting!" He grinned maniacally and Mr. Harris took a cautionary step back, "I'm leaving this place to live my best life in Hawaii!"

"Ah, I see." Mr. Harris' brows rose in surprise, though it was evident he was just as lost at the situation as his students were.

"He finally lost it." Blake chuckled, standing behind their teacher, easily peering above the man's bald head as he was a good head taller, "He fucking lost it, guys!" He said, turning to face his classmates.

"Blake, please go back to your seat." Mr. Harris gently guided him inside, "I'm going to talk with the principal. Stay here. All of you." He warned before leaving them alone and unsupervised.

As soon as the door shut, chaos broke loose.

They laughed and cheered as they heard Tanner's shouts fade away.

"About damn time my curse did its job." Juno pulled out a straw doll from her pencil case. It was covered with pins and had a poorly cut photo of Tanner's face glued to its head that the blonde probably cropped from her yearbook.

"Curse?" Madeline huffed, "We all know you can't even make a coin disappear and you're talking about curses?"

"Yeah, look," Juno pulled one of the pins stuck to its stomach and stabbed it on the neck, "Magic."

Another scream pierced the air and Juno giggled.

Alex's frown deepened at the mention of magic. She hated Tanner but she was sure she hadn't manifested anything for him.

She needed answers.

Alex rose from her seat and made a beeline to the door.

"Yo, Gilbert." Blake called her, coming to stand by her side, "Breaking the rules now?" He teased, resting his right elbow on top of her head to take a peek.

Alex grinned at him, "I'm just taking a quick peek. I'm not leaving the classroom." She cracked the door open a little before Blake swung it open, almost throwing her off balance, "A little warning would've been nice!" She hissed, looking around the empty hall.

The doors to the other classrooms started to open, curious faces stared into one another for answers but no one dared to step out.

An echo of footsteps coming from around the corner made them tense up, but they all stayed in place as the footsteps grew closer.

A familiar face emerged from the corner, grin widening when she spotted Alex.

Anna raised one hand in greeting and Alex put the pieces together. Whatever Tanner had done to piss off the vampire girl to be compelled to humiliate himself in front of the whole school, she was sure it was well deserved.

Alex shook her head, returning Anna's grin with one of her own.

This could only lead to one thing, Alaric Saltzman will be coming to town sooner than anticipated.

"Guys?" Elaine squeaked from her spot near the window, "He's taking off his clothes!" She giggled and they all rushed to the window. The blonde pulled out her phone to record Tanner's poorly executed strip tease, "I'm so posting this on my page."

Now she truly wondered what he'd done to Anna to anger her this much.

(...)

Alex's prediction was correct. A week later after Tanner's apparent mental breakdown and a week full of substitute teachers, the self proclaimed vampire hunter strolled into class one morning, lowered his briefcase onto the desk before he turned to write his name on the whiteboard with big, uneven letters.

He turned to face them, "My name is Alaric Saltzman." He said, emphasising the correct pronunciation, "And I'm your new History teacher. I know is a bit sudden to get a new teacher before the school years ends but due to Mr. Tanner's sudden leave-"

"He went cuckoo." Parker circled his index finger near his temple and the class giggled, "We all know that, Mr. S. You can say it."

Alaric's lips twitched, "Thank you for your comment, Mr...?"

"Parker Mathews."

Alaric nodded, now smiling, "Thank you, Mr. Mathews. I hope you keep this energy to participate for the rest of the school year."

Parker's face dropped, the class laughed at his expense and Alex smirked.

"Now," their new teacher clapped his hands loudly, "Let's do some introductions. First and last name, and maybe add a little fact about yourself. Who wants to go first?"

"You want to know our blood type too?" Blake said, standing up.

"If you have nothing interesting to say about yourself, sure, go ahead."

Gosh, she already knew this was going to be an interesting school year.

Later on that day and after classes were done, Alex drove past the old Gilbert building to check on the new owner and stop by to say hi to her friend.

A 'help wanted' sign hanging from the door caught her sight and without giving it much thought, Alex snatched it up before she made her way inside with a bright smile.

The place was still messy, but not as much as it used to be. Pearl had done a wonderful job redecorating and returning some of its old glory. Now it just needed a good swipe and some fresh air and it would be just like the old days.

Alex walked past half stocked shelves, walking past Harper who was standing on a stair, stocking the top area with some mysterious looking jars.

"Good morning, Miss Gilbert." He greeted, pausing to acknowledge her, "I hope you're faring well today," he said, then turned to the new arrival for approval, "Did I say it right?" He asked Anna who stopped by his side.

"Hey,"

"Is still a little too formal," Anna said, "But not as bad as before." She admitted, "What are you doing here?" She asked full of curiosity, and then she spotted the crumpled paper on her friend's hand, "Ah, I see. My mom is in the back talking to the repairman. She'll be back soon."

As if summoned by the mention of her name, the vampire made her entrance, "I'm back now. What's the matter? Hello, Alexandra. What brings you here today?" Pearl inquired, dropping a heavy looking box by her feet.

"Hire me!" She eagerly thrusted the paper onto Pearl's line of view.

The older vampire raised a brow in contemplation, eyes glinting, "And why would I do that? Tell me, what can you offer to my business that I already don't have?"

"Well," Alex trailed off. She hadn't really thought this through. "I already know you're all vampires so you won't have to pretend in front of me."

Pearl hummed, "I could just compel the workers. What else?"

Anna shook her head evidently amused at her mother's antics. It was obvious she was playing hard to please to mess with the Gilbert girl. Anna had already suggested offering Alex the job and her mother had been keen to it, arguing that it would be a good idea to have a witch by arm's length considering the nature of their business.

Alex squirmed under the woman's gaze, "Let's see... aha! I do happen to know the recipes to all of Emily's special ointments and brews. Also, I happen to be one of Mystics Falls golden child, old people love me and old people love natural remedies." She nodded, very pleased with her own argument and the logic behind it.

Pearl knelt by the box, using one sharp nail to break the seal revealing what looked to be a stash of papers. She grabbed a handful and handed them to Alex, "Prove it. Hand these around and we'll see how many people you rile in."

Alex picked one to inspect it closer. It was a flyer, very simply designed and straight to the point with the address, an image of the old building and some flashy slogan about the effectiveness of their remedies.

She accepted the challenge, surprising Anna by how easy she had fallen for the trap.

The vampire girl shared a look with Harper, who limited himself to shrug his shoulders as they watched Alex leave the building to complete the assigned task.

"I thought we agreed on hiring her?"

Pearl smirked, "We did. But that'll teach her not to barge into my establishment and demand things from me."

Anna gave her a pointed look but said nothing. Sometimes her mother did strange things for her own entertainment but ultimately, Anna knew she meant no harm.

(...)

Once she was done handing the flyers to every person that walked past her, Alex had entered the Gilbert building with a triumphant grin to announce her success.

"My mother was just messing with you." Anna said, "I was going to offer you the job before you burst through the door demanding to be hired."

"So I stood in the sun like an idiot for hours- all for nothing?" was Alex's shocked reply, "Why?"

"You might be a witch, Alexandra, but you're still human and I'm a vampire. I do not take kindly to being ordered around by humans." Pearl explained, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

She hated to admit it, but Pearl was right. She often forgot what they were and how dangerous they could be. Alex had grown comfortable around them, a little too much considering their nature. Alex had talked and joked around with Anna more times than she could bother to remember. She liked to think they were friends now.

She had learnt more about Harper, about the reason he chose to remain by Pearl's side in spite of everything. He had confirmed her earlier assessment with ease, he was good and Alex was glad she got him out too- and Pearl, elegant and poised, the physical representation of the word 'lady'.

She was hard to read, much like her daughter when they first met, Pearl had a tough exterior. But Alex had seen it crack, the way her eyes softened whenever she saw Anna, and how she seemed to genuinely try to live a normal life around humans.

But most importantly, Alex remembered when she had thanked her for releasing them, how Pearl's eyes had welled up with unshed tears and the firm squeeze she gave to Alex's hands when she deposited the Gilbert device onto the witch's hand.

It had been clear as day at that moment that Pearl felt like she was indebted to Alex and that nothing she would do in her immortal life would come close to repaying her. Which meant that the vampire felt like she needed to regain some sort of control, even out the scale by reminding Alex who was on top of the supernatural chain, hence her earlier display.

She had left shortly after once she had heard from Pearl herself that she really got the job and the vampire wasn't just messing with her, again.

'Considering all the awful things she could've done to me...' Alex thought, starting her car, 'That was pretty tame.' And she was positive Pearl's power display wouldn't stray far from this.

The engine roared into life and before she knew it, Alex found herself driving down a familiar path until it was impossible for her vehicle to push forth.

The witch's house was within walking distance and before she could change her mind, Alex jumped out of the car.

The ground crunched under her boots as she stepped on dried leaves and sticks, filling the silence around her. Even the animals of the forest were quiet as she neared the main entrance, arms wrapped around her in an attempt to warm herself and also to offer herself some sort of comfort.

This might be the last time she visited this place as she wasn't sure she would be welcome after today.

The weight of the witches stares followed after her while she descended the stairs down to the basement.

"I'm here to talk." Alex said, sitting down to start meditating.

As soon as her soul left her body, Alex was greeted by the sight of Lola, hunched on a chair near the fireplace, back turned away from her.

"I see you finally decided to come see us." Emily manifested, blocking Lola from her view.

"I wanted to apologise for my reaction the other day." She began, licking her lips before continuing, "I've been thinking, instead of changing your spell, could I just add one of my own?"

Emily regarded her with an unreadable look, "A spell of your own?" She repeated, nodding, "What kind of spell? You must keep in mind that it needs to be compatible with mine."

"A protection spell. It would be linked to the user's soul to keep spirits with bad intentions from corrupting their minds."

Emily's mouth curved in a smile, impressed with her words, "So you finally realised you had limits in what you can do." She said, "It can be done." Then she added, "The sooner the better. I must leave you now."

She vanished after that, leaving Alex alone with Lola.

"She won't be pleased with this."

"She? Who-"

"You wish to save your sister from her destiny." Lola turned to face her, "It's a very noble purpose. To defy the order of nature out of love."

Alex tensed, Lola was acting very strangely. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere as she addressed the young witch.

Lola's voice was a whisper in the air, "The sole purpose of her existence is to die, no matter the cause, and yet, you wish to change that. To disrupt the natural order to bring her back." She paused, smiling sadly before continuing, expression closing up, "It happened before, hundreds of years ago, a man came knocking on my door to request an elixir to bring back the dead. He was a vampire, no less. One very smitten with the doppelganger, enough to go behind his brother's back to request my assistance."

Alex's heart was beating loudly against her rib cage, her body was begging her soul to return, but Lola wasn't done talking yet and something in the witch's body language told her that this might be the last time they saw each other.

"Witches are not supposed to interfere in vampire's affairs but he paid me handsomely. A bag, the size of my head, full of gold, of course I could not refuse." She muttered, that haunting smile took over her features once more, "So I did, used all of my knowledge for it, and before you ask, it is impossible to replicate. The ingredients I used were... hard to come by." She said, shattering Alex's hopes.

"Why are you telling me this?" Alex said, "Why now?"

"Because I admire your resolution, and I know the real reason you're so desperate to find a way to resuscitate your sister, and there's a chance Elijah still has the elixir on his power."

"Are you suggesting... to contact him?"

Lola's face turned bitter, "I did not say such a thing." She denied fervently, adding in a hush, "It won't be long before Niklaus hears about the doppelganger being alive and comes to finish what he started long ago. Is up to you if you wish to have the upper hand."

Her words lingered in the air, a few seconds passed by in silence before the room shook and hundreds of shrieks pierced her ears.

Alex covered her ears with her hands to no avail as she frantically searched for Lola, spotting her standing near the fireplace.

"She's so mad." She laughed, "I wasn't supposed to tell you this."

"Then why? Why did you tell me?!" Alex yelled as the room shook with great force, bringing her to her knees.

Lola shrugged, "My reasons are my own." She said, "My time is up, little witch. I'm afraid we won't see each other for a while. Remember what I told you."

Alex's mouth hung open as Lola faded away, into the darkness and her soul was dragged back into her body.

It felt like the air had been knocked out of her, Alex heaved with painful, short breaths. Something dripped down her face and she drew one shaky hand to wipe it. 'Blood.' She concluded with horror, seeing the red liquid that now coated her fingers.

It was dripping down her nose and ears, staining her shirt and the dusty ground under her.

'I need to leave.' She thought with urgency, stumbling back to her feet. The witch's magic sizzled around her like static, raising the fine hair on her arms. Her fight or flight senses were in full alert, yelling at her to hurry outside.

She no longer felt safe in their presence. She was a traitor to them, any witch that dared to interfere with the natural balance wasn't welcome with them. Doppelgangers, shadow selves, served only one purpose, to die instead of the original ones. To bring them back defeated that purpose and everything the witches stood for.

'And Lola suggested that I ask a vampire for assistance.' It was absolute madness and Alex hated the fact that it made sense.

Elijah was a fair man, certainly he wouldn't pass the opportunity to strike a deal as long as there was something of equal value for him.

Good thing she knew a thing or two about his deepest desires.

They shared one common ground.

They both loved their siblings and wanted to keep them safe and away from Klaus' grasp.

Yes, it was a smart move to do that. But she had no idea how to contact him and most importantly, she won't go behind Elena's back to orchestrate her death.

'He'll show up on his own, eventually. All I have to do is wait.'

She just hoped he would agree to work with her.

(...)

Oh boi.

Get ready for another time skip bby!