Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

14

Sexy suds car wash.

Alex paused, taking a moment to remove her hat so she could fan her heated and rosy face with it. Her mouth was parched, and she regretted not bringing a water bottle with her before she started to work on her mother's garden. Now that Miranda was unable to keep caring for her precious flowers, Alex had stepped up, offering to look after them in her free time. She must admit she often forgot how strong her connection with nature was as she rarely worked with living plants and not the dried herbs back at the apothecary for her remedies. Even with her gloved hands, she could feel the energy the flowers emitted in response to her touch.

She let out a giggle, filled with childish glee as she circled her gloved finger above them and the flowers followed her movements, dancing at her set rhythm. Alex dropped her hand back to her side, making a mental note to do this more often. She felt at peace here, standing alone surrounded by the blooming flowers as her only company, and before she knew it, she was talking to them, telling them how pretty they looked and humming a happy tune as she watered them.

"I'm glad you're making new friends, honey. But, should I be concerned?" Her mother teased lightly as she approached her, carrying a tall glass of water that she offered to Alex with a smile as she admired her daughter's work, "It's looking good."

Alex smiled as she took a long sip from her drink before answering, "I was thinking about maybe getting some tulips or violas." She commented, taking another sip, "I think we could use some variety and more colour in our yard. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me." Miranda agreed, resting a hand in her rounded belly, "What are you going to tell your Aunt once she sees how the flowers returned from the dead?"

"I'm going to look her straight in the eye and tell her, Aunt Jenna, I'm a wizard."

Miranda rolled her eyes at her daughter's antics, "I think today is as good a time as any to tell her you're a witch." her mother agreed.

"You think so? I think she's still trying to process the whole 'vampires are real' thing."

Miranda raised a brow, lips quirking sideways, "And whose fault is that I wonder?"

"In my defence, I had no idea she was in the house and Jeremy doesn't know how to whisper." She said, recalling last night's incident as she did so.

Alex and Jeremy had been talking about the journals, discussing one of Jonathan's many stories as they cleaned the kitchen when Aunt Jenna had silently walked in and listened to the whole thing. Their Aunt had remained quiet until Alex started to talk about Noah and how they had gotten rid of him, not bothering to censor her words when their Aunt had enough and demanded to know what the hell was happening, so they had to tell her. She had been adamant at first, but Miranda had come out of her room after hearing her yells and confirmed their words once she realised what was happening. Needless to say, Jenna had been speechless for a good minute before she started to bombard them with questions that Alex answered as best as she could and also told her that the bracelet she gifted her was a special protection against vampires and to never take it off to which the woman agreed.

Miranda sat on a white wicker chair on the porch, one the last thing her husband had gifted her, nursing a cup of tea as she prepared her needle and yarn to continue with her current project. It was a blanket for her baby, all of her three children had one gifted to them by her own grandma. Sadly, she had passed away when Jeremy was only a few weeks old, but she had left behind all of her patterns and her lucky needles to Miranda in case she changed her mind about learning. She was positive Nana was looking down at her this very moment, laughing as she struggled to knit a simple rectangle.

She knew better than to speak ill of the dead, but damn it! how much she wished to say a bunch of not so nice words to her Nana at the moment.

"How…" she wondered aloud, lifting the piece to inspect the tight knot she somehow managed to make when Alex's laugh broke her concentration, "Stop laughing! This is just my practice model. The real thing is going to look much better," she promised, dropping the messy yarn on her lap.

"Sure thing, mom." Alex smiled cheekily at her as she untied her apron, seemingly done for the day, she removed her dirtied gloves as well as she made her way towards her house as a car parked in their driveway and Aunt Jenna came out, carrying a heavy looking bag that Alex immediately took from her arms as soon as she was close enough.

"Ah- Thanks, Alex." Jenna said, accepting the help, she looked back to the garden, "Wow, how did you manage to do this! those flowers were as good as dead when I left."

Alex shared a look with her mom before she smiled at her Aunt, "Because I'm a witch."

Jenna laughed but stopped as soon as she noticed no one was laughing along, "For the love of… Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief, eyes darting back her fort between them before she took a long calming breath, "Alright, okay, you're a witch. I can live with that. Anything else you want to tell me? Is Jeremy a werewolf? or, maybe Elena is a fairy?" She asked before turning to her sister, "What about you?"

"I'm a hundred percent human, last time I checked. So is the baby, as far as I know." Miranda answered sympathetically and turned to Alex, "You can't keep telling people stuff like that so bluntly."

"Sorry."

Miranda shook her head, a tad amused, she turned to her sister who looked like she was questioning her whole existence, "Jenna?"

"Hm?"

"You went to the car wash?" Miranda asked, "You promised Elena you'll swing by when you were done."

Jenna blinked slowly, coming back to life, "Aww, crap! No, I forgot." she said, glancing back to her car, biting her lip in contemplation. She was way too tired after spending the whole morning running errands for her sister. Maybe-

"I'll do it." Alex offered after taking the bags inside, "I need to buy some stuff anyways."

"Really? You're a lifesaver." Jenna smiled, relieved as she handed her niece her keys, "Well, if you girls excuse me, I want to take a hot shower." She said before heading inside.

Miranda raised a brow at her daughter, "What was that?"

"Just felt like doing something nice, poor Auntie looked like she needed a break."

Her mom was sceptical, "I see- wait, does this have anything to do with your premonitions?"

"Something like that- Don't make that face. Its nothing bad," Alex assured her before she whispered, "Is just that scum Felt is covering the event."

Miranda nodded, a flash of anger reflected in her eyes as she recalled what the man had done to her younger sister, "Go on then, and tell Elena to wear sunblock. You know how she gets after a few minutes under the sun."

"Yes mama!"

The place was packed with cars and people alike. Logan's van was parked on the side, away from most of the commotion. He stood in front of the car wash, giving his audience a good view of the event as he spoke with a bright smile, seemingly unaffected by the toasty sun beaming at him. Alex stuck her tongue out at him when she drove past him.

As soon as Alex parked her Aunt's car the small vehicle was swarmed by a group of topless teenagers carrying rags and buckets of soapy water that they wasted no time in pouring on the car as she somehow managed to open the door. Matt was waiting on the other side, smiling apologetically at her before ordering a guy to move so he could open the door for her.

Alex smiled back, pushing her shades to the top on her head before fully stepping out, "Thanks," she said, reaching to grab the brown paper bag resting on the passenger seat, "Wow, you guys are super efficient." she complimented.

"Not like Caroline gave us much of a choice." Matt admitted, "She's running this place like we're in the military."

"Sounds like her." Alex smiled, looking around, "Have you seen my sister?"

A feminine voice answered her question, "She's with Caroline near the entrance," The girl said, wrapping her arms around Matt's neck and pressing a loud kiss on his cheek.

'Matt's girlfriend... The girl Matt's dating... that girl... I don't remember her name. Play it cool, Alex.'

"Right, thanks." Alex said feeling uncomfortable as Matt smiled tightly at her, "See ya around," she waved before she hurried away trying to remember the girl's name. She was sure Elena had told her, but for the life of her she couldn't remember it.

Caroline was sitting on a plastic chair counting the money they had earned so far, lips moving silently as she fingered the wad of cash quickly. Elena was on her side, seeming to have finished counting the money inside the 'tips' jar. A table from the cafeteria had been placed in front of them and in an attempt to try to make it look more presentable, someone had thrown a red tablecloth on top of it. There was a banner hanging from one end to another with the words 'Sexy Suds Cars Wash' on it, a courtesy from the art club.

"Hello, ladies." Alex greeted once she was close enough, "I come bearing gifts to reward your hard work." she said, wiggling the paper bag in front of them.

Elena shot up from her spot, reaching to snatch the sunglasses perched on Alex's head, letting out a relieved sigh as she put them on, "The sun's been killing my eyes." she explained, eyeing the bag she was holding, "What's that?"

Caroline, who was now done counting the money as well, wrote down the amount in a notebook before she turned to Alex with a curious expression.

"I stopped by Polly's before coming here," was all she needed to say before the bag was also snatched from her, this time by Caroline.

"Man, I was starving." the blonde moaned after taking a bite of the savoury pastry.

Elena grabbed one as well, noticing the extra amount.

"I grabbed some for Bonnie as well,"

Elena smiled gratefully, "Thanks, I'll give it to her later."

Caroline cleared her throat, pointing at the tip jar, "Since you're feeling so generous today…"

Alex snorted, pulling out a folded $10 bill from her back pocket that Caroline scoffed at.

"Just $10? C'mon, Alex. We have a goal to reach today, wouldn't you like to end our suffering sooner?"

"Fine, fine," She said, pulling out a $20 that she handed to Caroline, "Better?"

"Much." Caroline said, logging down the new amount on the notebook.

"Your car is almost done," Parker said to Alex, coming from behind her, handing some cash to Caroline, "We're running out of towels by the way."

Caroline nodded offhandedly, "I'll tell Tiki to get more."

"I almost forgot," Alex said, pulling a small container from her back pocket, squirting the white cream on her hands and reached for Elena's face, who immediately pulled away, grabbing her sister's wrist, "Stop resisting, mom told me to make sure her precious baby didn't get sunburned." she said in a mocking tone.

"Is that jealousy I heard?" Elena countered, doing her best to keep her sister at bay to no avail because soon, both her cheeks were covered in a thick coat of sunblock that she tried her best to smother while glaring at Alex.

"You'll thank me for this." Alex said confidently.

Elena glared even harder.

Suddenly, the container was taken from Alex's hands, "Is this sunblock?" Madeline said face alarmingly red, she squinted to read the small font printed on it before she squeezed it harshly, almost emptying at once and smearing it all over her face, arms and down to her legs. When she was done and ignoring their disbelieving stares, she turned to Caroline, her annoyance still evident under the thick white coat on her face, "Next time we need to raise money make sure to pick an indoor activity."

Caroline gaped at her, "Excuse me? but I didn't heard you making any suggestions when I asked for ideas for the fundraiser."

Madeline waved her off, letting the blonde know she didn't want to fight, "I know, I know… But still, why a fucking sexy car wash? If I wanted a bunch of old men to perv at me I'll go to a bar."

"Because sex sells." Caroline explained, "And everyone agreed on this," she turned to look at them for support.

"I think it's time for me to leave," Alex said, taking a few steps back, being completely ignored by the group.

Madeline just nodded, "I'm going to take a break."

"A break? who do you think you are-"

"The self assigned president of the syndicate I just made up," Madeline answered without missing a beat, "And hereby I declare all workers deserve a 20 minutes rest or else I'll leave."

Caroline's eyes narrowed, "15 minutes and don't wander too far."

"Will do, boss." the redhead mocked saluted her, turning on her heels before her mouth hung open, "Oh my, who's that? because damn- Sorry, babe." she apologised to her boyfriend who was staring in the same direction as well.

"No no, I get it. Damn," Parker said, whistling as he took his girlfriend's hand and they started to walk away.

Elena's face was scrunched with annoyance and Alex frowned before she finally turned around, coming face to face with Damon.

"Hello there," He greeted her with his usual smirk, looking down at her.

"Hey," Alex responded simply, taken aback by his sudden arrival. She was surprised to see him here at all, considering that at this point of the story he was supposed to be desiccating in a dark, dirty cell, Alex was glad to know she hadn't made a mistake by intervening in his life so earlier on and ruining any chance of redemption he had.

Caroline, who was far too busy to entertain his antics, only nodded in greeting before she resumed her administrator activities, going to check on her workers. Wordlessly, Elena went after her, pretending she didn't notice the vampire standing next to her sister.

"I don't think your sister likes me very much," he pointed out, watching them walk away.

"Who, Elena? Don't mind her, she's just in her vampire hating phase," Alex said, 'And it's all my fault,' she deducted, "She'll get over it eventually."

"If you say so," Damon said, frowning at her, he picked a leaf from her hair, "What were you doing?" he asked, noticing the dirt stains in her pants, "Playing in the woods with Stefan again?"

She ignored his suggestive tone, "No, I was tending to my mom's flowers since she can't no longer do it herself."

His head tilted to the side, "Why? Is she injured or something?"

"Nope. She's just very pregnant and the Doctor advised to take it easy,"

Alex saw how his expression changed, how he connected the dots and came to a conclusion before nodding slowly, "Well, congratulations on becoming an elder sister again. How is she?" he asked carefully, studying her face for any change.

"We're taking it easy." She smiled before turning serious, wanting to change the topic, "How's Zach by the way? I haven't seen him around much."

"Didn't know you two were friends." He commented casually and before Alex could deny his claim he added, "He's alright, I suppose. Haven't seen much of him either. He's probably trying to find something to blame me for, so he and Stefan have an excuse to kick me out of town."

Alex was relieved to hear the man was doing alright, maybe this time he'll live long enough to know he had a daughter and live a long life. She glanced at the vampire, suddenly reminded of the reason why Zach didn't have a happy family around him and then swallowed harshly. Without meaning to, or even realising what she was doing, Alex was growing comfortable around Damon just like she had done with Anna and her family. She didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing, all she knew is that she needed to be careful, just because he wasn't terrorising their town at the moment didn't mean he was completely harmless.

A sudden pat on her shoulder brought her back with a jolt.

Damon chuckled at her expense, squeezing her shoulder, "Whoa, thought I lost you for a moment there. Care to share with the class what's so interesting you stopped talking for a full 5 minutes?"

"5 minutes?!- You're lying!" she accused him when she noticed his mirthful expression. She nudged his side and started to walk towards her Aunt's car as he chuckled and went after her.

Elena watched their interaction with poorly masked disapproval, taking advantage of their distance to do so. She couldn't understand why, or how her sister managed to be friendly towards vampires, hadn't Alex been the one to warn her to stay away from him? Yet here she was, openly smiling at him as if they were friends.

"Careful, Elena. You're jealousy is showing," Caroline joked, as she too watched the two of them with curiosity.

Elena scoffed, offended by the implication, as if she wanted to be friends with him, "I don't want him near Alex, that's all."

"Why?" Caroline pressed for an answer.

Elena's eyes bulged, "Are you seriously asking why?" She asked and Caroline nodded, "Because he's a vampire, Caroline."

The blonde straightened, standing to her full height, taking personal offence in the tone the girl used, "I'm a vampire too, Elena, and you're standing next to me with no problem."

"Is not the same." she explained lamely when she spotted Bonnie making her way to them, "I know you'll never hurt me. Him, I'm not so sure about. There's a reason why Alex wanted us to stay away from him."

"Why don't you talk to Stefan then, aren't they brothers? If anyone knows Damon's dirty secrets, it has to be him."

"I guess so." Elena smiled at Bonnie as she reached their side.

"Tiki is driving me crazy," Bonnie grunted, "Can't you do anything to put her in her place? She thinks she's the boss whenever you're not around and she is treating the customers like shit."

Caroline's face changed, faint black lines appeared around her eyes that quickly disappeared as she regained her composure, "Is that so?" she said as she went to find the girl.

"That's weird, I thought I saw... " Bonnie started before she shook her head, "Nevermind, I must be seeing things. It's probably the sun's doing."

"Probably," Elena agreed to appease her, "Are you hungry? Alex brought us some food."

"Ah- yes, thank you."

(...)

An upbeat song could be heard coming from the living room, its cheery melody bouncing at the walls and echoing around the mostly empty mansion, its owner long gone after being kicked out for being a 'party popper' according to the vampire currently sitting at the sofa. His posture was relaxed, legs stretched in front of him as he nursed his drink, a slight smirk adorned his face as he watched the two girls twirl around, moving their bodies to the rhythm without a care in the world, enjoying themselves and their little party, blissfully unbothered by the deep wound in their necks, just like he had ordered them to. He had meet them at the bar, their flirtatious smiles and not so accidental touches were a little too much to ignore. He might be dead but we was still a man and weak to temptation like any other man was, and he was getting tired of drinking from the blood bags, he preferred his meals to be as fresh as possible so when the opportunity presented itself, basically trowing themselves at his lap, who was he to say no? Whatever promise he made to Pearl be damned- Though it was good to notice he hadn't break it yet, both girls were still alive, if not a little pale, but alive nonetheless. He scoffed every time he remembered the woman's threat. After he had learned the true about Katherine's betrayal and he had ditched Alex on the tombs, he had followed the witch's advise and paid Pearl a visit. The older vampire confirmed Alex's words and even added her own version of the events, (not that he asked for it,) and once she was done, Pearl was quick to pin him to a wall and press a stake against his chest, promising to kill him if he dared to exposed them with his reckless behaviour. To think there was a time when she was more than willing to leave this town behind, 'Oh how times have changed.'

The pretty redhead with the very generous bust missed a step as the song change to another one he hadn't hear before. She let out a little yelp as she felt on the ground, hitting her hip with a low table as she did so. She winced slightly, a pained smile formed on her lips as her dilated pupils turned to face him. Her expression felt as soon as she registered his grave look.

"Careful, sweetheart. That table is older than the both of you combined," he warned before drinking the rest of his drink an standing up, coming to the other girl's side in a blur, making her stumbled a bit at his sudden appearance.

The brunette, whose name he couldn't remember for the life of him, licked her lips hungrily at the sight of him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear to expose her neck to him like an obedient pet.

Damon traced a finger along the side of her face, a gesture that would've been sweet if his eyes weren't focused on the red liquid oozing from her neck, "Are you having fun?" He muttered.

She nodded eagerly, smiling brightly at him, "I am, Damon. Thank you for inviting us to your party."

"This is not a party!" the redhead complained, now back to her feet as she served herself another drink, filling it to the brink with his expensive bourbon.

"Is not?" he asked lightly, as if considering her words.

"Nope! A three people party is no party!" she shook her glass after each word, taken with emotion, "You should invite more people!" she suggested.

He raised a finger, "Actually, I think you're right. The more the merrier." he agreed, pulling out his phone to scroll down his contacts list, "Nope." he said as he passed by his brother's name. He wanted to liven up the party not kill it. Damon went up and down his contacts before he dialled one. It ringed three times before someone answered and he was taken aback by the music and the laughter coming from the other end.

"Hello? Who is this, and how did you get my number?"

"Hey," He greeted cheerfully albeit a tad confused, "I was going to invite you to my party but it seems you're already at one."

Alex snorted, "I wish. I'm at my mom's baby shower."

His brows shot up and before he could answer, he heard Stefan's voice coming from the other end. 'Ah, so he's there. No wonder he hasn't show up here all day.'

"Is that Damon?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, do you want to talk to him?"

Damon rolled his eyes before Stefan even spoke, he practically hissed on the speaker, "Zach told me you brought some girls over. Is your party over yet?"

He shrugged, returning the wink the brunette sent his way before answering his agitated brother, "No, I was actually calling to invite-"

"Are they still alive?" Stefan cut him off.

He rolled his eyes again.

"Damon-"

"Yes, they're perfectly fine. Gee, Stef. You're at a party, aren't you? Loosen up a bit. Wouldn't want your future in laws to think you're all stuck up and boring." He said before hanging up as an idea filled his head. Damon turned to the girls as he pocketed his phone, clapping his hands to get their attention, "Change of plan ladies. I've got to go. So line up so I can patch you up before you leave, and remember this never happened." he compelled them easily.

(...)

Alex took a sip from her soda as she made her way out to the backyard after leaving Stefan to talk with his brother. She spotted her friend sitting on the porch, playing with the rim of her empty plastic cup in deep thought. She followed Caroline's stare and realised she was watching Jeremy and Anna as they talked animatedly about who knows what.

"Am I interrupting?" Alex asked as she sat down next to her.

Caroline stared for another second before she turned to her, "They're so in love with each other it's sickening. How did that even happened anyways?"

"Don't know. I think it was love at first sight, at least for Jeremy it was. You should've seen him the first time he saw her, it was super cute how he got all red and shy." Alex said in a not so quiet whisper that got Anna glaring at her, "I wish they would've stop pretending they don't like each other and make the first move already before I go grey."

"I heard that!" Anna yelled, confusing Jeremy.

"I was counting on it!" She smiled before turning to Caroline who seemed to be conflicted about something, so she nudged her side to get her attention, "Care, you look constipated. Something's bothering you?"

"No... I was just thinking," she said, suddenly perking up, "Hey, since you know it all, can you tell me if I'm going to fall in love again?"

'Oh, you have no idea.'

"C'mon Alex, trow me a bone here. I dying to know if I'm going to be alone for the rest or the eternity." She said, grasping Alex's shoulder, shaking her slightly.

Stefan showed up then, his sour expression was enough to distract Caroline momentarily.

"What's gotten into you?" the blonde asked, letting go of her.

He handed Alex her phone back, before sighing, "I have to go. There's a bit of a situation with Damon that I need to fix before he makes an even bigger mess."

Alex sighed, "I thought he was under control. Was anybody hurt?"

"You mean dead?" He clarified and she winced, nodding before he continued, "Damon assured me the girls were okay."

"Girls?" Caroline's eyes widened, impressed, "Look's like someone's been busy."

"So, what are we doing about that?" Alex asked.

Stefan opened his mouth to talk as the doorbell ran, interrupting him.

Jenna dropped an empty tray on the sink before eyeing the door, "Elena, can you get that? I'm a little busy at the moment," she muttered, getting on her tippy toes to reach the fancy glasses stored in the top cabinets since her sister wanted to make a toast.

"How many people did your mom invited?" Bonnie whispered, reaching to grab another handful of chips.

"I don't know, I thought everyone's was already here." Elena answered with a shrug, wiping the crumbs off her mouth as she made her way to the entrance, plastering a welcoming smile on her face, "Hello- ah, its you. What are you doing here?" she asked defensively, smile now gone.

"It's also good to see you too..." Damon trailed off, "I'm sorry I forgot your name, Elaine was it?"

"Elena," She said through gritted teeth, "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"Well, your sister invited me a while ago but I had some errands to run earlier on but I was able to finish just on time," He said, looking around, smirking at her, "Aren't you going to invite inside, Elena?" he asked, emphasising her name.

Even though she was uncomfortable under his stare, Elena refused to back down and was ready to close the door on his face when Aunt Jenna came through, carrying a tray filled with glasses of wine that she balanced easily as she came to her niece's side, "Elena, who's at the door- Hi! You're Zach's nephew aren't you? Come in, your brother is already here. I think he's at the back with Alex and Caroline," Jenna said excitedly, ushering him inside.

Elena just stood there, dumbfounded as he walked pass her, shooting her that annoying smirk of his as he did so.

To his credit, at least he didn't came empty handed as he handed Jenna a wrapped gift and what she could only assume was en expensive bottle of wine. She cursed under her breath and closed the door before she went after them, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as Carol Lockwood and Caroline's mom received him with open arms, especially Carol who looked more than happy to have him sit next to her. Elena was momentarily confused by their reaction before she remembered he was now a member of the secret vampire society of Mystic Falls thanks to her sister.

He gave them the same excuse he had told her when they asked for his lateness and they all seemed okay with it and quickly moved on to other topics, not before Damon when over to her mom to congratulate her and make some small talk with her, and by the looks of it, Miranda was also charmed by him. Elena fought the urge to rush to their side as a sudden protectiveness overcame her, but before she could at on it, Sheila Bennett touched her arm.

"Why don't you go back with Bonnie?" She said, noticing her hesitation she added, "I'll keep an eye on him." She gently squeezed her arm, before Elena nodded stiffly.

"Thank you." She said before leaving, completely walking past her waiting friend in the kitchen and sliding the glass door open to the backyard, trying to find her sister amongst the small crowd gathered there.

"Your brother's here." Elena said to Stefan.

He pressed his lip into a thin line, "Guess there's no need for a plan after all." He said before leaving.

Elena waited until he was gone to address her sister, "Why did you invite him?"

"I didn't," Alex defended herself, confused at the accusation.

"So he just showed up uninvited. Classy." Elena grunted, shaking her head before she went back inside with Bonnie.

"Okay, that was weird."

"Oh, don't mind her, she's just worried Damon's going to kill you." Caroline explained.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, you tell me. You were the one who wanted us as far away as possible from him." Caroline retorted, "So, what's so terrible about him? Does he kick puppies for fun? or maybe he-"

"Caroline," Alex interrupted her, voice low, "He has killed people in the past just because. He's not a good person, at least not now. But he will be, sort of, he just needs some help and I'm willing to give him a chance. I wasn't sure when he first showed up and that's why I told you both to stay away just in case. But I changed my mind. I'm not asking you to be best friends, just to give him a chance. "

Caroline looked back inside, spotting him with ease as he was the tallest amongst the group of giggling women circling him. Even her mom was captivated by his charm, though she was better at masking it than the rest of them and for that she was grateful. She returned her stare back to the vampire, he looked completely harmless as he joked around, nothing like the monster he probably was. He did something then that left her and Alex speechless. He approached Ms. Gilbert and engaged her in what seemed to be a pleasant conversation as the woman seemed very relaxed and happy to talk to him before he said something and Ms. Gilbert nodded her head rapidly and he just placed his hand on her belly and then the baby kicked, judging by his sudden jolt and the way everyone laughed at his reaction.

It was such an innocent interaction and so very human that neither of them knew what to make of it.

Then the doorbell rang again and Alaric made his entrance, tensing as soon as he saw Damon amongst the crowd and Alex knew it was time for her to go inside.

By the time she made it inside, Alaric was busy talking with her mom and Damon was occupied talking with Stefan in a corner, away from most of the guests. She caught Pearl's eye for a moment and the vampire smirked at her, as if she found the whole thing funny before resuming her conversation with Carol and the rest of her mom's ladies club members. The weekly girl's Sunday had been born thanks to Aunt Jenna's suggestion as a way to help Miranda with the feeling of isolation she experienced after being left at home alone most of the day while the rest of the household went out. Though it was also an excuse to keep up with the latest gossip in town. This week they decided it was time to have a baby shower for baby Gilbert, whose gender still remained a mystery to everyone but the Doctor. Alex's bet had gained popularity amongst her mom's friends, their names being written in a sheet pinned to the bulletin board, overlapping their chores list much to Aunt Jenna's dismay. Carol Lockwood was on top of the list, betting a good $100 that it was going to be a boy. Her reasoning being, that Miranda's belly shape was similar to hers when she was pregnant with Tyler. A very logical argument, of course.

Carol, Liz, (whenever she was off from work,) Sheila, some of their neighbours and surprisingly, Pearl, were part of her mom's club. The latter being the newest addition, having gained an invitation after Alex mentioned at work that her mom was struggling with her morning sickness and Pearl had sent Alex home with a special mix of herbs that the vampire drank regularly during her first pregnancy hundreds of years ago. Miranda's illness was immediately relieved and after nagging Alex for the woman's phone number, she had personally invited Pearl to join them.

'This week we're doing crochet!' Miranda informed her, 'Next week we'll be learning how to bake cupcakes and the following, I think Liz is teaching us how to clean a gun.' Miranda told the woman over the phone, 'So come whenever you'd like. My home is always open for you.'

Despite that statement, Alex had to invite Pearl herself when she arrived with her daughter earlier on, pushing Elena out of the way to get to the door before her as no one else in the house knew about Pearl's and Anna's vampirism as Alex believed that wasn't her secret to tell.

(...)

Seeing as Stefan was keeping Damon occupied, Alex turned to go back outside but this time she ended up catching Alaric's stare and then her mom's and she knew better than to ignore them or she'll never hear the end of it and about how rude she was.

Alex approached them, coming to stand next to her mom, who hugged her side, "Mr. Saltzman, I'm glad you could make it. I thought you wouldn't be coming, seeing how late it is." She smiled sweetly at him as her mother pinched her arm for her rude remark.

"Almost didn't make it. Got caught up talking with Mrs. Flowers at the teacher lounge. She was telling me about the test your class did last week." It was his turn to smile at her.

Alex's went pale as she recalled the nightmare of a test she had tried to solve last week, it had been agonisingly long and complicated, something she wasn't able to solve with her sleep deprived brain after pulling an all nighter trying to memorise the material in time after she had forgotten about the test until Juno had texted her asking her about it. To be fair, she had other things to worry about, like getting rid of Noah for example. She had been occupied polishing the details of her plan and making sure Damon was on it to remember the upcoming test. Though she couldn't tell that to her mom.

Miranda perked up, urging him to keep talking, "Yes?"

"Well, I don't know if it is my place to inform you," He said, looking at her, "But Alex got the lowest grade in her class."

"Oh," Her mom deflated, turning to her, "You didn't tell me you were failing chemistry."

"I'm not failing chemistry. I just forgot about the test. It won't happen again."

"How did you forget about a whole test, Alex? I thought you had one of those things- a bullet journal," she said, snapping her finger at the word, "To avoid these things."

"Mom, can we talk about this when the party's over? I think this is hardly the time to discuss my grades." She excused herself, breaking their side hug.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." Alaric said.

"Sure you weren't."

"Alex-"

As if they sensed each other's distress, she ended up crossing stares with Damon and before she knew it, she was already walking away, "We'll talk later." she told her mom before she motioned him to follow her outside and slid the door shut behind them.

"So, you're failing chemistry."

"I'm not failing, I don't know why he said that."

"I think he doesn't like you either." he said in a sing-song voice. "Welcome to the club."

"Either? Did he say something to you?"

"Not directly, but even here I can feel him glaring at me." He said, placing a hand on top of her head pretending to be a medium, "So tell me, you who knows it all, what did I do for him to hate me?"

Alex smacked his hand away before she answered, "You turned his wife, but he thinks you killed her."

"Ah, yes, I hate when that happens." he made a face, "Who was his wife again?"

"Pretty, brunette, blue eyes, pale skin,"

"I can think of a hundred girls that fit that description." Damon interrupted her, "You gotta be a little more specific."

"Her name was Isobel Flemming,"

He scrunched his face in deep thought for a second or so and then shrugged, looking back at Alaric, "Doesn't ring a bell, sorry. Should I keep an eye out for bootleg Van Hellsing over there?"

"It would be wise, yes." Alex nodded.

"That 's it?" He asked, raising his brows, "You're not going to tell me, Damon, please don't kill my teacher or I'll hate you forever or something?" he said in a fake girly voice.

"Nah, he'll be fine." Alex said, elbowing his side, "And I don't sound like that at all."

Alex had opted to keep her mouth shut about what she knew to Alaric. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but after struggling for a whole week and being unable to come up with a proper solution that didn't end up with her spilling the beans about his wife to her history teacher, she realised it would be best to just let him be and continue with whatever he was doing when he wasn't in school. They had known each other for a full year now but she was nothing more than his student and he had no reason to believe anything she'd said. He didn't treat her any differently than he did to the rest of her classmates and she was okay with that until the little incident with the rings happened. Now, Mr. Saltzman, as subtle as he tried to be, always found himself staring at her during class, it never lasted more than a few seconds before he caught himself and resumed their class as if nothing happened but he did it often enough that even Juno had pointed it out, asking what the hell was going on between them and if Alex needed her to beat him for being a creep.

She had lied of course, reassuring Juno that nothing weird nor inappropriate was happening between them, and when the blonde didn't looked too convinced at that, Alex used her Aunt as an escape goat once again and told her friend Mr. Saltzman was sweet on her Aunt and she was just his wingwoman.

The rest of the evening was spent in relative peace, until it was time to make a toast for the baby's health and one of the guest had mentioned their father, lamenting the fact he wasn't here to celebrate with them and how much he would've loved to have another child as he always dreamed with having a big family. The mood had dampened after that comment and an awkward silence fell upon them as no one from the Gilbert family knew how to answer that. Carol had come to their rescue, clearing her throat and drawing the attention to herself before she improvised a short speech wishing for a healthy baby and an easy pregnancy for her friend and then raised her glass with a tight smile and they all did the same, some people adding their own blessing for their friend before taking a sip.

Alex took a small sip from her glass before she disappeared from the crowd, having made her way to the backyard for some privacy. The woman's comment had triggered a lot of suppressed thoughts Alex didn't dare to entertain ever since she found out her mother was pregnant. Yes, her father would've loved to have another child, there was no doubt about that. Before she could stop herself, she was already imagining what would it be like if her father were still alive, she thought about the clothes he would've wore tonight, (probably the white dress shirt with blue stripes as that was his favourite,) what he would've have said for the toast, his fond smile as he caressed his wife belly- Was it crazy, that as the night went on she still expected her father to show up, apologise for being late and make up an excuse about being busy with work and join the celebration, letting everyone know how excited he was for the baby and then sharing many things he would teach them...

She wasn't crying, thankfully, or else she'd had no idea how she was going to face the guests once she went back inside. Alex took a deep breath that she released slowly and then downed the rest of the liquid in her glass, trying to distract herself with the rich taste in her mouth to no avail. There was a pressure in her chest, the very same she experienced the first few weeks after Grayson's death, she had thought she'd gotten rid of it after making up with her family. 'Guess I was wrong.' She mused bitterly, looking upwards to the starry night.

She stayed outside for another minute, counting the stars as she did so, trying to collect herself as much as she could before heading inside. Luckily, no one had gone to check on her so she was free to stand in the darkness in peace.

By the time Alex went back inside, the party seemed to be over, most of the guests were gone and the rest were gathering their things to leave while some stood near the entrance talking with her mother and bidding their goodbyes. Both Damon and Stefan were gone and she found it weird that they had left without saying anything, but as if reading her thoughts, Caroline came to her side.

"I told them you needed a moment to yourself." She friend explained, "Are you okay? I can't believe Ms. Harris had the balls to say that," she muttered, scowling at the woman's back, glaring daggers at her, "Like, read the room woman, it's only been a few months!"

Alex smiled sadly, glad to know her friend had her back.

"I would've put her in her place if Tyler's mom hadn't spoken first," Caroline promised.

"I know you would've." Alex said tiredly, hugging her friend.

"Caroline, are you ready to leave?" Liz said from the living room as she fastened her coat.

Her friend sighed, squeezing Alex tightly and then released her, "Call me if you need anything, I'll be here in a flash," She winked and then went to her mother's side, waving at her before they left.

Alex went to the kitchen and made a beeline towards the sink to start washing the dishes.

There was a presence next to her that wordlessly dropped a mountain of plates next to Alex, who looked over her shoulder startled by the sudden interruption.

"You almost gave me a heart attack,"

Pearl ignored her words, leaning closer to Alex, "My contact was able to get in touch with Mr. Mikaelson." she whispered and Alex froze, "He should be here soon. Be prepared." She advised and slipped away, not giving her a chance to respond.

At once, her mood changed and her sadness was buried away. Alex looked around, trying to find her siblings to break the news to them but she couldn't find them, instead, she had caught Sheila's attention, who made her way to the girl.

"Would you care to hear a word of advice from an old witch?" She asked, helping Alex with drying the dishes. She nodded and Sheila grew serious, "You need to be more careful when choosing your company." Alex nodded again, "I know we have different opinions about vampires, and I also know there's no point in trying to change your mind about them."

"That's something we can agree on." Alex said, handing her a tray for the woman to dry.

"All I can do is warn you to be careful around them. Witches and vampires are not meant... to be together." she said cryptically.

"I don't know what are you implying ma'am,"

"Oh, I think you do." Sheila smirked, "You just pretend you don't because it's easier that way. But sooner or later..."

Alex hummed, unsure on how to answer that. Surely, the woman wasn't implying that she was going to- "Elena!" she called as soon as she saw her sister come out of the bathroom, "I need you to bring something from my room. It's an old book on top of my vanity."

Her sister's forehead creased as she looked between them, but did as told, returning shortly after with Emily's grimoire.

Sheila was shocked, taking a hand to her chest while the other hesitantly reached for the book, and after a confirmation nod from Alex, Elena handed it to the woman. The old witch ran a finger along the cover, taking in every detail she could see before she flipped it open, devouring as much information as she could in those few seconds as she was unsure when would be next time she could get such a chance.

"It's yours," Alex said and the woman's head shot upwards in surprise, "It belonged to your ancestor, didn't it? it only makes sense for you to have it."

Sheila nodded slowly, "Where did you find it?" she asked in a small voice.

Alex grimaced, "It would be best if you didn't know," She said and behind her, Elena looked down at her hands frowning and then put them under the sink to wash them.

"And what do you want in exchange for this?" Sheila asked with a guarded expression.

"Nothing," she answered, confusing the woman even more, "I told you, it's rightfully yours. I was just borrowing it for a moment."

Sheila wanted to say more but Bonnie arrived then, draping a scarf around her neck, "I'm ready to leave, grams- It's everything alright?" She asked, noticing how tense they all were.

"Yes, everything's alright, dear. I'll be out soon,"

Bonnie nodded, finally spotting the old book in her grandma's hands. She scrunched her face, pointing a finger at it, "What's that?"

Sheila smiled warmly at her, "You'll see." she promised, turning to both sisters one more time, "Thank you." she said sincerely, and focused on Alex, "And do keep my advice in mind."

Bonnie didn't understand what the hell was happening but she knew her question would have to wait for some other time.

Damon flung open the boarding's house door in a swift motion, contemplating the idea of shutting the door in Stefan's face to stop his nagging. He hadn't stopped pestering since he showed up at the Gilbert's house and it didn't seem it would be stopping any time soon. Unless he did something.

"I get it, Stef. I shouldn't have shown up like that," Damon cut him off, removing his jacket, "You made it clear like an hour ago."

Stefan just sighed heavily, muttering something under his breath, "I'm going to bed." he said, finally done, aware that nothing he said had left any lasting impact on his brother.

The sound of glass hitting glass caught their attention, they shared a look and Damon took the lead to follow the sound with Stefan walking after him.

They found Zach collecting the alcohol bottles littering the living room, tossing them in a black trash bag without a care. He turned then to roll the dirty carpet and finally realised they were standing there.

Zach stopped what he was doing to look at Damon with contempt, "Would've it killed you to have cleaned the place before you left?"

"I was going to," Damon raised a finger, pointing at a sticky note stuck in the lamp, "I left a note letting you know.

That just seemed to anger their nephew even more, "Yes, a note. How gracious of you." he grunted, resuming his task.

Stefan patted his brother's back, "I'm going to bed." he said again, leaving them alone.

"I thought you promised to behave," Zach said after he was done moving the stained carpet.

"I am behaving." He assured him, fully entering the living room.

Zach extended his arms, motioned to the trashed room and pointed at a red stain in the couch, "Doesn't seem like it." He looked up then, mouth open to continue his scolding when he averted his gaze somewhere else, behind Damon.

The vampire frowned, about to look behind him when he felt it, the tip of a wooden stake being pressed behind his back and slowly piercing his flesh. He couldn't move, his body felt stiff, like all of his energy had been drained at once. Panicked eyes turned to Zach as he struggled to move and reach whoever was behind him but his nephew did nothing, he stood still, waiting for everything to be over with.

"This is for Isobel," Alaric whispered behind him.

In a last desperate move, Damon threw his head back, hitting Alaric in the nose and momentarily making him loosen his hold. He wasted no time in reaching for the stake and pulling it out, throwing it aside as he grabbed Alaric by the neck, lifting him in the air to meet his angry stare.

Damon's eyes were midnight black, no light reflected off them as he studied Alaric's red face. The man struggled against his hold, trying to pry his hands open and when that didn't work he tried to stab him with the gadget attached on his wrist, but he was too far away to touch him. Black spots dance around his visions as the lack of air started to take effect and little by little he stopped moving.

The vampire dropped his body unceremoniously on the floor, ready to chew Zach off when a breeze flew past him and he found Stefan holding Zach's wrist, stopping him from finishing Alaric's job for him.

Damon clicked his tongue, black eyes setting on the man, "Now, Zachy boy, why don't you go to your room to think about what you've done tonight." He dismissed him, taking a seat on the couch, "And be fast before I change my mind."

Stefan waited a second before he released him, giving him a warning stare as the trembling man went upstairs in silence. He then turned to look at the dead body in their living room, "What are we going to do with him?"

Damon, who was studying the weapon that almost took his life with disinterest, shrugged, "Easy. Suicide." he said, setting it aside in the low table, "Our trusty witch told me he's still sad over his wife's 'passing'. We can fake a note and boom, problem solved."

Stefan looked like he wanted to disagree but the sound of Alaric taking a deep breath distracted him.

Damon's brows raised to his hairline, "Or maybe not." he said as the man turned to look at him, "I need a drink. You want one? you look like you need it." He offered Alaric.

hehe can you guess which Mr. Mikaelson Pearl was talking about?

Are you guys ready for the originals! because I am.