Disclaimer: I do not own vampire diaries.

10

Numb.

Alex took a sip from the steaming cup of tea Carol had offered her. Even without tasting it, Alex could tell it was mixed with vervain. She knew it wasn't personal, as a member of the council, Carol had to be careful with whoever she invited to her home, so Alex made sure to maintain eye contact when she took her first sip.

Carol smiled before she followed suit, taking a short sip from her own hot drink.

They were currently sitting at Carol's office and compared to her husband's, Mrs. Lockwood's was smaller but bigger than Alex's own room. Oak bookshelves as tall as the walls lined their sides and Alex was curious to know what genres a woman like Carol Lockwood was into, but such a frivolous question will have to wait for another visit.

Alex had requested this meeting with the Mayor's wife to discuss important matters.

"Renovate Wickery Bridge, you say," Carol mused in contemplation with a sympathetic expression on her features, "That old bridge hasn't been renovated since it was built in 1912. It's certainly due, I assure you." She said, "I will speak to Richard about it, but don't worry too much. I'm sure he'll agree, considering the elections are coming up in a few months..." She trailed off with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood. It means a lot to me that you even considered listening to my petition." Alex said, "It hasn't been easy to drive past the bridge almost every day and see the evidence of what happened."

Carol's expression fell as she lowered her own cup onto her desk, setting her gaze on the chunky ring adorning Alex middle finger, "I meant to ask when you arrived, but we got carried away with the conversation... How are you holding up?"

"Some days are better than others." She confessed, playing around with the ring, "I still have a hard time accepting that he's gone."

Carol nodded in understanding, reaching to hold her hand, "How about Elena and Jeremy? I haven't seen them much since the funeral."

"They're dealing with it in their own ways." She evaded the question.

Truth was, Alex hasn't spoken much with her siblings, or her mom for that matter. Most of her free time was spent holed up at the lake house practising with her magic since she was no longer welcome at her previous haven with the witches.

She definitely wasn't avoiding them. Alex had her own problems to worry about and she didn't know how to handle her grieving family properly. Her brain was incapable of producing the comforting words they so badly wanted to hear, this was her first time going through something like this. The loss of a close family member was a type of hurt she was unfamiliar with and it showed with the awful way she was handling everything.

Instead of acknowledging her problems, Alex focused on the future. She kept herself occupied so she didn't have to think about her father and the permanent guilt that plagued her ever since.

'If only I...' She never dared to finish that thought.

It was cowardly and she knew it but she didn't know what else to do. Her mind was blank when it came to how to help her family. She hadn't even offered them her shoulder to cry on, the bare minimum, since the funeral, 'But they didn't do it for me either.'

Just this morning she had done it again. She had been sitting on the porch, staring at her mother's flowers when Jeremy had stormed out of the house with Jenna rushing after him, begging him to stop and talk to her. They had been arguing more as of late so it didn't surprise her to see them arguing this early in the morning.

Alex's body twitched in response, she wanted to go after him and hold him tightly and promise him everything would be alright. But she didn't, Alex stayed where she was, just watching. Promises were nothing but empty words. Her father's final fate was proof of it.

When Jenna had returned alone, she had stopped by Alex's side, clearly wanting to say something but for some reason chose not to. She just shook her head and went back inside, gently closing the door behind her.

Alex felt enough guilt as it is, but Aunt Jenna's disappointment was another dagger to her heart. 'No pun intended.'

Yet here she was, still running away.

"I should probably get going," she rose from her seat and Carol did the same, accompanying her towards the door, "Thank you for this, Mrs. Lockwood."

"Think nothing of it, honey. I'm glad to be of help. I will let you know once the project is accepted."

Alex thanked her once more before leaving the Lockwood residence and moved onto her next objective, finding a good carpenter or a woodworker in town.

(...)

True to Carol's word, the woman had no trouble convincing her husband to approve the renovation of Wickery Bridge.

After the renovation's fundraiser was over and the sun had set on the horizon, Alex drove back to the old bridge to steal- collect- the white oak wood.

When she was done loading the planks inside her car and was ready to leave, the old sign caught her eye, 'Should I?' She debated, already making her way towards it.

She didn't need to apply much force for the old sign to give in. She stomped on it to break it into smaller pieces that she could fit in her car and once she was done, Alex drove away from Mystics Falls.

"I can't believe that worked," she said to herself, grinning like an idiot for the first time since Grayson's death.

Alex spotted the 'You're leaving Mystics Fall,' sign when her phone went off. Cursing, she pulled over by the side of the road.

'Blake' was displayed on the screen in bright white letters.

'What the-' Alex thought before accepting the call, "Hey, Wassup."

"Gilbert." He greeted, unusually serious and Alex could heard music playing in the background, "You know I ain't no snitch but your little brother is at my place, he's-" He paused as someone shouted in the background, "I told everyone to not give him anything but Vicky, you know how she is. She thinks this is a challenge." He sighed.

"Fuck," Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'll be there in twenty. Keep an eye on him and don't let him be alone with Vicky. I'm going to kill her when I see her."

"Leave it to me, Gilbert." He said and hung up.

Alex looked over her shoulder, 'I can't drop this and drive back in time.' She concluded and did a u-turn, 'Blake wouldn't have called me if it wasn't important.'

With her heart on her throat, Alex raced to Blake's house to pick up her brother and hopefully save him from making any bad decision.

'How could I be so blind!' Alex scolded herself, 'Mom is still here but it hardly makes a difference the way she is.'

Miranda might still be around but she was a shell of her former self, she was living dead, and Aunt Jenna was the one to make sure she didn't fall and break into more pieces. None of her children were there to help her. They were handling their grief on their own, Elena was just like their mom, the joy had been sucked out of her, she only spoke when spoken to and lived her life like a robot.

Alex was... coping, 'Very badly, may I add,' she was the complete opposite of her mother and her sister, every little thing that reminded her of her father always left her as a crying mess.

How she wished she could hide her emotions behind a mask, pretend she was alright and move on with life... but she couldn't, Alex wasn't so lucky.

Jeremy on the other hand never left his room and opted to avoid them as much as he could, 'Just like me,' and she had been a fool to think he wouldn't become a stoner this time around.

What had happened to them?

'Dad would be so sad if he saw us now.'

Fear crept upon her as she neared Blake's house. She had been there once before when they had been partnered by Mr. Harris for a project. The house looked the same as she remembered it, a classic suburban house with pristine white walls and a beautiful garden that was now covered with litter, beer cans, red cups and stray teens that wanted to continue the party outside the house.

She rushed to the front door, greeting some familiar faces as she did. Alex got on her tippy toes trying to spot the tall brunette amongst the sea of people, "Blake!" she yelled when she saw his messy shag.

He raised his hand in greeting, "Gilbert!" he seemed relieved to see her and it scared her, "This way." He led her past the living room and upstairs to his room.

The smell coming from it was strong enough to make her eyes water and make her cough.

"Ah, sorry. It can be a bit much for newbies." A familiar voice spoke from her side, leaning on a wall, "Alex, I didn't think this was your kind of party." Juno said, stomping on her cigarette as she greeted her.

"Juno?" Alex questioned, brows knitted together, "What are you doing here?"

"Just having some fun," Juno answered casually, "You're here for your brother? I'll have you know Vicky's been all over him since he showed up." She said and her face lit up, "You want me to back you up? I've been wanting to put Donovan in her place for a while now."

Alex nodded, albeit a bit confused by her declaration, this was news to her but she'll have to find the truth some other day, "Yeah, thanks." She said and turned to Blake.

"He's inside," Blake told her, "If Vicky asks..."

"You're not involved. Got it."

Vicky's strenuous laugh could easily be heard over the music playing in the background. She was clearly having a good time, she was in her element, felt at home surrounded by the loudness of the party and the sweaty teens dancing around her, and not for the first time in her life, Alex wondered how she could be related to someone like Matt.

It wasn't that she hated Vicky, quite the contrary actually, they had played together many times during their childhood and were in the same class during middle school so they were familiar with each other, not friends but more than strangers. They only drifted apart when they started high school and Vicky started to hang out with the wrong crowd and her mostly inoffensive rebellious acts took a turn for the worst, her most recent scandal being underage drinking at a public space during daytime.

She didn't mind Vicky, she just wanted her far away from her baby siblings.

Alex stopped by the doorway, arms folded across her chest, she looked around the cramped room for her brother.

Vicky was the first to spot her, and giddily, she pointed at her, "Oh uh, we're busted!" She giggled, harshly smacking Jeremy's arm to get his attention.

They were sitting on a lumpy couch in the far corner of the room, far too close to each other for Alex's liking.

"Jeremy." She got his attention, completely ignoring the intoxicated girl, "We're leaving."

"What? No! I'm not leaving." He said defensively, shaking his head, "You can leave if you want, but I'm staying." He said, making Vicky laugh again.

She seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.

"Ow? I like it when you talk like that." Vicky purred, snuggling closer to his side.

"Jeremy, Car," Alex said sternly, "Now."

He was ready to protest when Juno intervened, "Listen to your sister, dude. You don't want to end up like Donovan and her buddies." She advised, walking past Alex, smirking, "Pay no mind to what Vicky says to you to get into your pants. We all know she's in desperate need of attention since daddy's boy dumped her ass."

Vicky gritted her teeth, she was ready to pounce on the newcomer as Alex seized the opportunity to grab Jeremy's arm and drag him out as they heard Vicky throw every profanity in existence to the blonde girl.

She halted next to her friend, "Thanks, Juno." She said sincerely.

"Anytime, Alex." She smiled, "Now get home, the both of you. This is no place for you two." The blonde said as she cracked her knuckles.

Alex shot her friend a concerned look as Vicky shot up from her spot, ready to wipe the smugness out of Juno's face with her fist.

The blonde playfully winked at them before hurrying them out of the room as a crowd started to gather around the girls, their eager voices yelling from the sides to rile them up.

'Please, be careful.' Alex prayed as they hurried outside. It didn't matter how concerned she was for her friend, her family will always come first. She had neglected her 'duties' as older sister long enough. This was her wake up call to return to reality.

Her baby brother had been so close to falling down the dark abyss that was drug addiction. Jeremy was his own person and free to make his own decisions without her intervention. At least, that was what Alex used to think... Still, it wasn't her place to tell him how to live his life. Just this one time, she would allow herself to meddle with his personal affairs to stop him from making two of the worst mistakes of his young life, doing drugs and doing Vicky Donovan. 'Ew, Alex, that was low. Sorry, Vicky!' She chastised herself, 'I need to drop this holier than thou attitude. Between us, I'm the one that has killed before...'

Alex sighed. It was better if they both went their separate ways.

Jeremy got in the car without a word and Alex did the same.

"What's your fucking problem?!" He exploded as soon as she drove away.

"I don't want to fight, Jer. Please." Alex pleaded, keeping her eyes on the road, "Not now." She gripped the steering wheel tighter.

He chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head, "Of course you don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She was still looking ahead, "You want me to yell at you?"

"At least that way you'd talk to me!" He said, "Ever since dad died you've been pretending we don't exist."

"Jer..."

"When you made us read the eulogies that day, I genuinely thought that-" he paused, taking a shaky breath to steady himself to utter, "...I thought that even if dad was gone, we'll be fine because we had each other." He admitted bitterly, before scoffing.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy." Alex's voice trembled as she struggled to put her feelings into words, "I'm just so lost. I felt as if my world is falling apart and I can't do anything to stop it."

"You can do something, you just don't want to." He shook his head, "You rather run away than face the reality, and by the way, you're not the only one who's suffering dad's loss."

"I know that, Jeremy." Alex let out a tired breath, " But I have other things to do." She said as an idea popped in her head, "Important things."

"Like what?" He questioned, "Going to the lake house to cry doesn't count as something important." He said, looking over his shoulder, "And what's with all this wood? Are you building something? Is that your important project?"

Alex remained silent as the car came to a halt right in front of their house much to his surprise but before he could question her, Alex was already out of the car.

"Wait here." She told him before making her way inside their home.

Several minutes later, his sister returned with a very sleepy Elena that Alex helped into the car.

"What's going on?" Elena yawned before she spotted him on the passenger seat, "Jeremy?"

"I have no idea either." He shrugged as the door next him opened and Alex climbed in.

"We are going to the lake house. So buckle up, kiddos. It's time to tell you all the truth."

Elena sat on the sofa wrapped in a blanket to try to mitigate the night chill that crept into her bones as they waited for Jeremy to start the fireplace. Upstairs, she could faintly hear her sister moving around the attic, probably storing away the wood planks that were in her car.

They had tried to ask about them but Alex had shut their questioning with a shake of her head and told them to start the fire. Since Jeremy had risen to the task, Elena could only wait for him to be done when she spotted the mess laying on top of the coffee table.

'Journals?' She questioned inwardly reaching to grab one and quickly coming to the conclusion that Alex hasn't been the one to write them judging by the neat calligraphy and the fact that it was obviously a very, very old book.

She traced a finger along the first paragraph, squinting her eyes to make out the words in the darkness, 'Vampires?' She read, a tad amused and intrigued, she pushed the book closer to her face, 'As of late the vampire population in Mystics Falls seems-'

A pair of approaching footsteps forced her to stop, Elena shut the journal harshly and dropped it back where she found it. She couldn't shake the strange sensation that overtook her as soon as she read those words, 'Vampires in Mystics Falls' the whole sentence was laughable and yet-

"Jeremy, leave it." Alex said.

"It's okay, I'm almost-" he sighed when he failed to lit the fire again and added quietly, "Got it." He threw his arms up in defeat before he plopped down next to Elena and motioned with a hand, "All yours."

Alex nodded firmly, licking her lips before addressing them, "What I'm about to tell you might sound insane, but all I ask-"

"Just spit it out!" Jeremy cut her off a bit anxious as Elena sat straighter.

"I'm a witch," she said, gauging their reactions before continuing, "And I can prove it." She flicked her wrist and the fire came to life beside her.

Her siblings flinched, wide eyed and mouth agape, Elena was the one to speak first, "How?..."

"Magic." Alex shrugged, "And that's not the craziest part." She took a seat in the empty spot next to Elena.

"There's more?" Jeremy asked, eyes still glued to the fire before he turned to her.

Alex grimaced, "Plenty more." She glanced at the Gilbert journals and then at her siblings attentive faces, "All I ask if for you both to keep an open mind and let me finish before asking any question, okay?" After they reluctantly nodded, Alex began her tale, "About a thousand years ago, the original witch committed the worst crime against nature. She turned her children and her husband into creatures of the night, vampires they're called nowadays. "

"Like the ones in twilight?" Jeremy interrupted jokingly.

Elena blinked, breaking the focus she had on her sister to smirk at him.

Alex paused, "No, Jer. They don't sparkle under the sunlight but they do drink blood." She said, and locked her eyes with her sister.

"What does that have to do with us?" Elena spoke up, "I mean, why are you telling us this? Does it have to do with the fact that you're-" she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "A witch?" She inquired quietly, feeling a bit ridiculous by calling her sister that.

"Elena," Alex's voice grew serious and held her hands, feeling how cold and clammy they were, "The original witch, she, uh... had and affair with another man, a werewolf-"

"Are you sure you're not ripping off twilight? This sounds like twilight." Jeremy said.

Alex rolled her eyes, "No, Jeremy. Forget about twilight, damn it!" She said, "As I was saying," she held Elena's hands tightly, "She had a son born from that affair, his name is Niklaus."

"Is?" Jeremy couldn't help but interrupt in disbelief, "Is, as in he is still around?"

Elena tensed, her mind going back to the words she read not long ago, "And what about him?" She muttered, "Is Jeremy right? He's still around?"

She nodded, "Yes, but-" she stopped, feeling a knot grow in her throat. Elena's fragile expression pained her heart, "After he was turned into a vampire he realised he was part werewolf, a hybrid." She took a deep breath, "So to atone for her sin, the original witch cursed him, bid a part of him using the blood of a supernatural being known as doppelgangers."

A wave of panic rushed through Elena as she mulled over Alex's words. She was trying to wrap her head around it, trying to understand why Alex was so focused on her and then, it clicked on her, as a fleeting thought that she didn't bother to entertain by the absurdity of it- 'But Alex is a witch!' Elena's mind yelled at her. Logic had abandoned them as soon as her sister had lit a fire with a flick of her hand.

Elena retracted her hands slowly, shaking her head as a nervous chuckle left her, "I still don't understand what this has to do with me."

"Elena, honey," Alex told her firmly, looking her in the eye, "You're a doppelganger."

"What does that even mean?!"

As gently as she could, she answered, "It means that you're the key to break the curse. He wants to use you- your blood, for it. All of it." She let the severity of her revelation sink in before she continued with her explanation and talked about Elijah's miraculous elixir.

Elena threw her head back with laughter, breaking the tension, "You almost had me!" She giggled, tears in her eyes, "I can't believe I almost fell for it!"

Jeremy frowned, looking between both of his sisters, "Elena, I don't think Alex is lying to us." He explained and Elena's head whipped her head in his direction, expression faltering, "I mean, you know Alex, why would she even toy with us like this?- C'mon Elena!" he urged.

"This is madness." Elena got to her feet to pace around the room, "I'm not-" she blinked rapidly as her eyes stung with tears, "Please, tell me this is some poor taste joke to lift our spirits." She pleaded to her sister in a whisper, "Please, it can't be true. Vampires are not real."

"I'm sorry, honey. But it's all true."

"How do you know all of this?" Jeremy spoke, eyeing the Gilbert journals with interest, "Is it written here?" He picked one of them, reading the name displayed in the first page, "Wasn't Jonathan Gilbert a fiction writer?" He asked and hope bloomed in Elena's chest.

'That was it!' The brunette thought with glee as her heartbeat slowed down, 'It was all a misunderstanding.'

Alex denied with a shake of her head, "No," she shattered Elena's hope with that single word, "It was a cover so he could write freely about the creatures lurking in the shadows of Mystics Falls."

"That still doesn't explain how you know all of that." Elena said, "Alex?!" She prompted when she didn't answer.

"Well... How do I," she cleared her throat, scratching her cheek sheepishly, "I know things about the past and the future."

"Know things? Like what?" Jeremy asked after exchanging a look with Elena.

Alex smiled as she stared outside, at the deck, "Back when we were children, do you remember that summer when I stopped you from jumping?"

Jeremy followed her gaze, "Yeah, what about it?" He said, recalling how Alex had appeared by his side, seemingly out of thin air to hold him back from jumping.

"You were supposed to break your arm." She declared and his eyes rounded comically.

By their side, Elena had stopped her pacing to stare at her sister form with utter betrayal. She had connected the dots and her world came crashing down for the second time tonight, "Did you know?" She asked with accusation, "About Dad's accident?" She blurted out.

Elena was hurt and confused and needed someone to take the blame and Alex was the perfect target for it.

Alex's expression dropped. A tense silence fell upon the room, a thick fog of anticipation grew in them as they waited for Alex to respond to Elena's grave accusation.

"Well?" Elena demanded.

Alex held her chin high, very offended by her sister's words. She already blamed herself enough as it is. She bit her tongue, Alex wasn't proud to admit that her first reaction was to raise her voice. Arguing would get her nowhere and she knew what Elena was doing, she was dodging the main problem by redirecting the blame to Alex, even if she wasn't aware of it.

A chill went down her spine as Jeremy's gaze seemed to pierce her soul for an answer that she wasn't ready to say aloud.

"Alex, did you know yes or no?"

She nodded weakly, "I did." She said, opening her mouth to explain but her sister's horrified reaction made her pause involuntarily.

Elena gasped, "How could you?!" She cried out, covering her mouth with her hand in shock as she shook her head, "Why didn't you do anything! You could've saved him!"

Jeremy said nothing, but the way his shoulders tensed and his nose flared were an indicator that he was just as upset as his sister was.

Even though Alex was still processing their father's death and the crushing guilt she felt for not doing more, she knew she didn't deserve their harsh words.

Calmly, she addressed Elena, "How dare you say I did nothing to stop his fate? How can you look me in the eyes and accuse me of letting him die like that?" Alex stood, coming face to face with her shaken sister, jaw clenched in cool rage, "He knew about it and so did mom, I told them years ago!" She said, standing up, "And it still happened! I'm not a goddess, Elena. I can't stop every bad thing that is going to happen but I'll have you know I'm going to die trying if it means I get to keep you all safe." She spoke with conviction and turned to Jeremy, "I'm not losing any of you ever again. I told you all of this because dangerous times are coming for all of us and I want us to be prepared. So I'm going to talk and you're both going to listen, got it?"

"I didn't expect my night to end up by planning Elena's murder." Jeremy ran a hand through his hair tiredly.

"And resurrection!" Alex clarified for Elena's sake who was in the kitchen, taking a call.

Elena's lips quivered in a humourless, tight smile in acknowledgement.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." He confessed, "It's insane and it only gets more complicated the longer I think about it."

"You took it rather well, actually." Alex complimented, playfully nudging his side.

"I always knew you were both weird. You just confirmed it."

"Hey!" She smacked his arm, smiling, "Don't be rude."

He smiled before it felt, hesitating, he spoke, "I don't know how you did it, honestly, Alex. It would have driven me insane to know all of that and keep it secret."

"It wasn't easy." She admitted quietly, playing with a loose thread in her shirt, "But I think it was the right call to wait this long."

Elena had questioned her reasoning, clearly upset about being left in the dark about her own fate for so long.

'The way you're feeling right now. Tell me, would you've been able to handle it as a child?' Alex had said gently, 'You stopped talking to us for a week when you were told you were adopted.'

Elena had conceived her point.

Alex understood her sister. She had learned some heavy stuff about her own future so it was understandable for her to act the way she was. 'And I didn't even tell them the whole truth.' Alex mused, studying Elena's profile. She had only told them about The Originals and the ritual. No more details were disclosed. Alex didn't want them to live in fear.

Elena was trying very hard to accept Alex's words as the truth, she trusted her sister but... She was ranging an inner battle with herself, part of her, the emotional one, was a wreck, working overtime to digest what she just learned, and then, there was her logical side, having an even harder time to accept the fact that vampires, werewolves and witches were real and that a thousand years old vampire was out for her blood.

It all sounded like the plot of a low budget movie.

The harder Elena thought about it the bigger her headache grew. But she was determined to do anything to keep her loved ones safe.

"Yes, Aunt Jenna. We'll be there soon. Bye." Elena ended the call and made her way to the living room where she found Alex creating a little firework show in the palm of her hand with her magic to entertain Jeremy.

Elena was awed, enthralled by the bright colours floating in the air and for the first time today, she smiled.

"It's everything okay?" Jeremy asked her.

"Ah, yes. Aunt Jenna was just wondering where we were."

Alex lowered her hand, ending the show with her action, "I need to apologise to her." She breathed out, "She's been an angel to us all of this time and I can't even remember when was the last time we spoke."

Jeremy winced guiltily, "I haven't been the best to her either."

"We'll talk to her in the morning." Elena suggested and they nodded in agreement. She bit back a yawn as she settled next to Jeremy, resting her head on his shoulder and Alex did the same. Together, the three of them stared out of the glass door and into the horizon, watching as the night sky lightened with the first sun rays of the day.

"You know," Jeremy began, "I've been wondering if there's more supernatural creatures out there." He said, and Elena made a displeased sound, she had enough supernatural talk for the night, "Like fairies, or mermaids!"

"Well, I'm 99 percent sure that Mr. McCarthy is a leprechaun." Alex said seriously.

"You're bluffing."

"He always carries that gold coin around." Elena commented, "And he's always excited for St. Patrick's day every year..."

(...)

Days after Alex's big revelation and once the news of her powers and her 'visions' had been somewhat accepted by her siblings, Jeremy had taken an genuine interest in the supernatural. He was enthusiastic about it too, eager to learn more about the hidden world around him and often knocked on her door in the middle of the night to talk about certain paragraphs written in the Gilbert journals.

Sadly, Elena wasn't on the same boat as them and whilst she didn't outright avoided the topic, she tended to maintain her distance from it. Niklaus and the ritual hadn't been discussed after that night at the lake house but Elena was still suffering the aftermath of their conversation. Often being found staring into the void, overthinking her future over and over again.

As a result, Alex was careful to always keep an eye on her sister and reassure her that they would be okay at every chance she got. That's all she could do while they waited for the Originals to show up in town.

Alex's forehead wrinkled, eyes squinted as she read the list of ingredients displayed on her phone's screen. It was her turn to cook lunch according to their newly purchased bullet board that displayed the Gilbert's household chores. It had been Aunt Jenna's idea as a way to regain control in their life and learn to manage the house without their father. It worked just fine, as long as they remembered to check it or Elena took in upon herself to remind them to do their assigned chores.

"That's too much garlic..." She muttered to herself, biting her lip in contemplation, shrugging before she reached for knife to start cutting the vegetables.

Elena walked past her carrying a load of clean laundry that she set on the couch to start folding it. She was in the middle of aggressively folding a shirt when she sighed.

Alex just let her work her frustrations, patiently waiting for Elena to disclose what was bothering her, though Alex might have a idea about what is was.

She focused on finishing lunch, adding a drizzled of oil into a pan to start stir-frying the vegetables when Elena finally spoke.

"I feel like I'm living on borrowed time." Elena grunted, frustrated, she threw the shirt back in the pile of clothes, tumbling over said pile.

Alex paused, looking up to meet her gaze, grateful that they were alone to have this conversation in peace, "I know, Elena. But there's not much we can do besides waiting."

"Can't we?" Her sister retorted, sounding desperate, "I mean, there must be something! I can't just sit here and wait for my death." She deflated, lowering herself into a chair before looking up to her sister, hopeful, "Can you rush things? Like, can you, I don't know, contact them and let them know I'm here and come kill me? Preferably before school starts again. I don't want to be stressed about homework and dying."

It seemed Elena had finally come to terms with accepting the unfair price of being a doppelganger and Alex's heart broke after hearing that. Is not that Alex wanted her sister to die to aid in Klaus cause, but after giving it much thought for literal years, she had come to the conclusion that the ritual needed to happen. She was a realistic person, if not a bit pessimistic. Alex was aware of her limits and knew that she was and ant compared to a thousand years old vampire who won't hesitate to hurt or kill her loved ones to get what he wanted. She was not a seasoned witch and didn't came from a powerful witch line like Abby Bennett did. Not to mention she was also a pariah amongst the witches so she didn't count with their support either. She was just Alexandra Gilbert, the girl that knew too much and so happens to know a little hocus pocus.

What Klaus wanted, Klaus gets, and it would be best for their family's sake to cooperate with him. 'Besides, Elena will be fine with the elixir... but I would have to talk to Elijah first!'

Alex gaped at her, turning off the stove before coming to Elena's side, "You can't be serious."

"I am." She shrugged, "I don't want to live in fear for a year and half. I already got enough stressing with a few days." She sighed heavily.

Alex pulled her into a hug, "I know, baby. But I'm not sure if that's something I can do."

'Is not like I know how to get in contact with them... but I might know someone who does.'

"I know, Alex. Is just, I feel like I lost control of my life. At least this way I feel like I have a say in my fate and I'm just not bending to the whims of Edward's and Jacob lovechild."

Alex rested her head on top of her's, biting her lip to stop a sob from escaping her. She pressed a kiss into Elena's temple, "I'm sorry I can do more to help you."

Elena shook her head, easing their hug, she looked up, "It's not your fault I was born cursed." She half heartily joked, eyes glistening and nose red.

She tucked a piece of hair behind Elena's ear before cupping her cheek, "I wish things were different."

"So do I." She sadly agreed, "But I want you to know that I would do anything in my power to keep you all safe." Elena promised, gaze hardening with determination.

Encouraged by her bold declaration, Alex smirked, "I know." She said, "You should go to cheer camp. Get some fresh air, hang out with your friends, exercise-

"And all of that with Caroline's yelling in the background. Sounds like paradise." Elena joked.

Alex laughed, "I mean it, Elena. Take a break. I'll do you good."

"I'll think about it."

Suddenly, the front door bursts open and Jeremy broke their moment. He was pale as a ghost and jumpy. He paused by the stairs to stare at them, gaze zeroing on Alex. He opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it, resuming his pace and presumably going to his room.

Alex had understood his unspoken words. They needed to talk, urgently. Whatever had happened when he was out truly bothered him.

"That's was weird." Elena said after a bit.

Alex hummed, "I should finish lunch before mom and Aunt Jenna get home." She switched the topic, going back to the kitchen.

Elena nodded, resuming her previous task in silence.

Alex was ready to start serving lunch, about to call Jeremy to help her set the table when the front door opened once more and their mom strolled in, practically glowing with a bright smile adorning her face. This was the happiest she'd looked in a while. It was concerning.

"Is Jeremy home yet?" Miranda asked, not waiting for an answer, she yelled, "Jeremy! Come down!"

Elena came out of the laundry room, confused she stood by her sister, and whispered, "What's going on?"

"Don't know." Alex whispered back.

"Why don't you three take a seat," their mom suggested once Jeremy came down, gesturing at the couch.

Reluctantly, they obeyed and mom stood in front of them, playing with her wedding band.

Aunt Jenna entered them, carrying a manilla folder and a cake box from Polly's bakery, "Have you told them yet?" She asked, grinning and setting her car keys in a bowl near the entrance.

"Tell us what?" Alex asked, growing uneasy.

"I'm pregnant!" Miranda said, waving her arms in the air, "You're having a little brother or a little sister!"

'Oh... OH!'

Elena smiled widely, "That's great news, mom." She said, "How far along are you?"

Alex's gaze focused on her mom's belly, noticing a small bump starting to show.

Her gaze softened, a small smile appeared in her lips as her mind fantasised with the idea of having another baby to take care of, recalling her time sharing a room with baby Elena and the moment baby Jeremy was introduced to them. Feeling nostalgic, she sprung to her feet, wrapping her arms around her mom.

Miranda returned the hug, petting Alex'a head before she answered Elena, "I'm about to enter my second trimester." She informed them, "Baby Gilbert should be here around November, I think?"

"Jeremy, you have nothing to say?" Jenna asked him, curious to know his thoughts, "You haven't say anything."

He mulled his words for a bit, "Congratulations, mom." He said at last, simple and sincere, before he smirked, "I want a brother by the way. I'm tired of being outnumbered."

Miranda laughed, "I see what I can do about that. But I promise nothing."

"You don't know the baby's gender yet?" Elena asked.

"Nope. I want to keep it a secret until the birth."

Alex grinned, clapping her hand together, "Let's make a bet then, shall we?"

Once the excitement had died down a bit and they were done with lunch, Jeremy excused himself after washing the dishes, subtly nudging Alex's shoulder as he passed her by.

She waited a minute or so and then excused herself, leaving Aunt Jenna to dry and put the dishes aside, not before apologising and promising to compensate her later.

"You better." Aunt Jenna told her jokingly, smacking her butt with a towel before she headed upstairs.

Alex knocked on Jeremy's door, being pulled inside before she could knock a second time.

"Okay, tell me. What got you so worked up?" Alex inquired, jumping on his bed.

Jeremy went over to his closet, pulling out boxes, clothes and some other stuff, "I went to the library today. Wanted to see if they had something about the supernatural and stuff," he said, back turned and still emptying his closet, "I saw Mr. Saltzman there. I think he knows about vampires."

"What makes you say that?"

"Does he?" He shot back.

"He knows." Alex said, seeing no harm in telling the truth, "But how did you came to that conclusion?"

"He asked me about the journals. Wanted to borrow them." He clicked his tongue, "His excuse was that as a history teacher he was curious by nature." He said, obviously unimpressed by it, "He also has a magical ring."

Alex brushed over his last statement, no need to open that can of worms just yet. "Did you gave him the journal?"

"Nope. Told him I haven't finished reading yet."

"Why did you lie?"

He finally found what he was looking for, "I wanted to check something with you first." He held it up for his sister to see.

Alex's breath caught up as she reached for it, surprised by its weight, running a finger along the cool metal, captivated by the intricate design etched in the dagger, "Where did you find this?" She asked, still shocked. She couldn't believe she was holding the last missing item for her collection of 'things she shouldn't have in her power.'

"Dad's office." He said casually, "The week he died I found Uncle John rummaging around his office looking for it so I grabbed when he left to ask mom about it."

Alex scoffed at the mention of their uncle, not surprised by his lack of tact, "It was in the safe?"

Jeremy bobbed his head, "Yeah. At first I grabbed cause I didn't want Uncle John to find it, but today I realised what it was." He said, digging in his backpack for the journal, flipping the pages until he came across what he was looking for, "The white oak ash dagger." He read, turning the journal for her to see, "We could use this to get rid of Klaus!" He said, proud at his discovery, but Alex's sad expression made him pause, "What is it?"

"The dagger doesn't work in Klaus since he's part puppy and we can't dagger Elijah because he's the one that has the elixir to revive Elena."

"Aw man." He huffed, disappointed, plopping on his bed, "There goes my plan."

"It's okay, Jer. You meant well." She comforted him.

"Good thing I asked you first and didn't told Elena." He said, "Let's keep this between us."

"We shouldn't keep things from Elena-"

"Keep what from me?" Elena asked, leaning on the door frame, arms crossed, "You should try to be more discreet when sneaking behind my back." She advised them with a frown, "So? Keep what from me?"

With a nod of her head, Alex told Jeremy to hand over the journal to Elena, who quickly read the lengthy paragraph written by Jonathan Gilbert.

When she finished, she lowered the book, "Knowing my luck, this probably isn't as easy as it sounds."

"The thing is, it doesn't even work, apparently." Jeremy said.

Elena turned to her, "How so?"

"Klaus is a hybrid so it doesn't work on him and Elijah is the one with the elixir and I don't think he'll help us if we stabbed him."

"This sucks." Elena said, jumping between them, face down on the mattress and mumbled, "Guess we're still on board with the original plan?"

Alex rolled her eyes at the silly pun, and then, addressed Jeremy, "Elena wants to rush things up."

"Why?"

Elena shrugged half heartedly, "Didn't feel like dealing with junior year and my imminent death at the same time." She rolled over, now facing the ceiling, "Let's talk about something else."

"Like our new sibling for example?" Alex suggested with a wiggle of her brows, successfully lifting the mood.

Jeremy piped in, wishfully, "I really want a brother..."

(...)

ferallahey: I thought it'd be funny if all the Gilbert kid had brown eyes for some reason lol and yes, it would be very ironic ;)

Felinegreat: Thank you!

AnosDT95: Oh my... did you really re read this? I'm crying youree so sweet! I think Anna mentioned where Mikael was but I'll have to double check before we get there.

WarriorofMyth: time skip is here bby!

gage. 111: thanks u! I try to update as soon as I'm free.

Junyahui: hehe thank you!

Saiyanprincess1511: *screams* should I be scared? I have a vague idea of what's to come thanks to the tvd wikia page but omg I guess we'll figure out when the time comes. Thank you and see next update :)

That One person: Thank u!

AndTheSaintsAreAllMadeOfGold: The Originals we'll be here soon ;)

Angelicsailor: I'm so glad I spolied myself reading the wiki page or else I'll be like who tf is Amara and Silas?!

xenocanaan: Caroline is best girl and their friendship is so fun to write. Alex and Kol sounds interesting... I'm getting ideas ;)

Guest: Oh boy, you're making me blush with so much praise ;)

sammyleann: aww thank u.

RenTenTen: I lost like ten braincells to come up with that joke. It'll be returning in coming chapters.

Sofiaguadalupevasquezramirez: Gracias!

Hearteyesmf: love your username btw lol I'm trying to establish their family dynamics before jumping into action so I'm glad you enjoy them.

And that's all for today folks, see ya soon!

Please, let me know whose face you picture as Alex when reading? Any suggestion for a face cast ?