Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

15

Time's running out.

Alex stared at the ceiling, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time. She stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, sprawled on her bed like a starfish, just staring. Roger had been kicked off her bed long ago during one of her many tossing and turning moments in which she also threw her covers on the floor.

The white ceiling provided the perfect canvas for her to replay her memories in her head like a movie. Her memories were no longer as clear as they used to be and she often found herself merging events and confusing dates and such during her recap. Good thing she had the mind to write what she knew in her diary when she was a child or else she'll be screwed. Still, Alex didn't move. She should get a pack of those glow in the dark stars and stick them to the ceiling to give her something to stare at on nights like this. For she was sure this wouldn't be the last time she'd be left like this, left to wallow with her nerves.

By the time she was done talking with her mom about her grades, both Elena and Jeremy were already fast asleep and she didn't have it in her to wake them up to accompany her in her anxiety party. This might be the last time they got a peaceful night of sleep and she wasn't selfish enough to take that from them. Besides, she was okay with being alone for now.

At least, in the privacy of her room and hidden in the shadows, Alex could smile openly. She was afraid, yes, but she was also excited to meet the Originals. They had been the highlight of the show and she had been saddened when they were no longer part of the cast. So yes, she was smiling in anticipation, wondering not for the first time, how their meeting would be like? Ultimately, her plans had been changed by their earlier arrival, something she wasn't so mad about, so all of the scenarios she had thought of had changed as well. All of the witty remarks she had prepared beforehand were useless now.

She felt unprepared, worry gnawed at her as she imagined the worst- 'But I have the upperhand,' She reminded herself, soothing her worries, 'All I need to do is make myself an indispensable resource. Show them I'm on their side and negotiate my loved one's safety.'

Another smile bloomed on her face, this time more relaxed than the previous ones as a weight lifted from her. Then she felt guilty for smiling. Their arrival brought nothing but despair and problems to her family and here she was, smiling like she'd received the best news in the world. Her mood soured after that.

Somehow, she managed to fall asleep.

(...)

Elena peered around the mostly empty cafe once she sat down and lowered her purse into the chair next to her. There's a soft tune playing in the background, drowning the voices of those around her, glad about choosing this place for their meeting she smiled at the young boy that stopped by her side, holding a small notebook close to his chest and a pencil, ready to take her order. "Can I get a medium salted caramel latte, please." She checked the time in her phone, realising that she had arrived 10 minutes earlier than their agreed time by accident, but she's not too bothered by it. Actually, she's glad for some alone time with herself before he shows up.

Words don't come easy for her, every sentence she thinks of is quickly dismissed with a subtle shake of her head. There's no polite way of inquiring about someone's past, especially the past of someone you can barely stand as if is.

The same boy stopped by her side, depositing a steaming cup of coffee in front of her before he moves to take the order of the couple sitting a few tables over.

Elena takes the cup in her hands, relishing in the warmth before taking a sip. Not the smartest idea to drink coffee to calm oneself down, but she wasn't a big fan of tea and to be honest, she really needed a shot of caffeine to rid herself of the sleepiness clinging to her since she woke up. After her mom had told-ordered- her to go to bed, claiming that she needed to talk to Alex in private, Elena had gone upstairs, changed into her pyjamas and tried to fall asleep. She was unsuccessful for most of the night, her mind far too busy recalling Caroline's words to let herself rest.

If she wanted to know more about Damon's past, all she had to do was ask Stefan. Easier said than done, but she was determined to learn the truth no matter what so as soon as she woke up, she sneaked into Alex's room and grabbed the small notebook she kept with her friends' contact info from the lower drawers of her nightstand and flipped the pages until she found what she was looking for. Her sister was awful at remembering phone numbers or addresses so she always made sure to write them down just in case.

Elena had dialled Stefan's number before she could talk herself out of it, surprised that he answered quickly to an unknown number she spoke with a confidence she didn't felt. She had been partly honest, asking him to meet with her to talk about his brother before she gave him an address and hung up.

She tapped a finger against the wooden table, following the beat playing in the background, absentmindedly moving her head along. Her phone went off, drawing everyone's attention to her, she smiled apologetically, digging around her purse to pull out the offending item, frowning when she read her sister's name displayed on the screen.

She denied the call and before she could block the screen, Alex called again, Elena muted her phone before typing a message, 'Busy. Talk later.'

Distracted with her phone, she didn't notice Stefan had arrived until he dragged the chair in front of her to sit down.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." He set his own steaming cup down.

She blinked at him, dropping her phone inside her purse as she straightened. Somehow she felt like she was caught doing something inappropriate as silly as that might sound. She smoothed her clammy hands down her pants, suddenly nervous, and who wouldn't be? she was sitting next to a freaking vampire! He might be Alex's friend but she wouldn't be leaving her guard down just because he seemed harmless enough at the moment.

Elena studied him with care, giving a calculating once over before she paused on his face, adamant to find any psychical proof of his real age. An expression line, laugh lines, crow's feet, something, anything really that proved that he wasn't the teen boy that he pretended to be. Of course she found nothing, his skin was flawless but not in a way that looked artificial nor his face resembled a mask. It was just flawless, not a single acne mark or any other blemish was to be found and she briefly recalled Caroline bragging about not having to worry about her 11-steps skincare routine anymore. His eyes were a completely different story though and the only thing that gave away his true age and the horrors he must've seen since turning. Eyes were the windows of the soul and Stefan's was tormented. Though he hid well because as soon as she blinked, that strange look was gone.

Not done with her assessment, she kept on staring, unable to find a similitude with his elder brother. They looked nothing alike, complete opposites of each other, at least in looks, she hoped their personalities followed the same example.

"Thank you for coming," She spoke at last.

"Thank you for inviting me," He shot back, giving her a small smile that was hidden away as he sipped his drink.

There, that's when she finally found something. Their smiles were almost identical. 'Almost' being the keyword here for she was sure she would've missed it if she wasn't paying attention.

'Focus, Elena. You came here for a reason.'

"I wanted to talk about your brother. I want to know everything about him."

Stefan lowered his cup, pensive, taking his time to answer, "Well, what can I say. Damon is a man of… many talents."

Elena shook her head, cutting him off, "You misunderstood me. I want to know about what he's done," she said, inching closer, mindful of the people around them, "Know the reason why my sister wanted me to stay away from him and the reason why even his own brother seems wary of him."

Honestly, he was expecting this conversation to go down a different path, "You'll see, that's something I can't discuss with you. All I can say is that Damon is not a good man and it would be best if you kept your distance." He said vaguely, about to stand up.

"Why?" Elena shot back, jaw tight, "You barely answered my question. Tell me, Stefan. Please, I promise I won't tell anyone if that is what worries you. I promise no one will heard the truth from me."

"It's not that, Elena. But what Damon has done in the past is not for me to disclose. Especially with you," He regretted the last sentence as soon as it left his lips but Elena didn't comment on it, seeming lost with her own musings.

She took in his words before a sudden thought struck her. A chilling coldness dawned upon her as she pictured the worse, she wouldn't put it past him, "He killed people, right?" she asked, shocked. The subtle shift in Stefan's stance told Elena she hit the nail right in the head with her assumptions. Unable to stop now, she added, "And so have you. That's why you're so protective of him…"

Stefan shook his head, dismissing the accusation, "Just stay away from him," he advised, the image of the history teacher dead in their living room was still fresh on his mind. Damon might be more tame now but he was still capable of killing without hesitation if provoked. Just like him, "Believe me, it would be best if you stayed away from vampires altogether." He looked at her with something akin to pity and her stomach stirred uncomfortably as he stood, "I need to get going now. I promised Zach I was going to help him move."

Elena sat there, mulling over his words as she watched him go. Frustrated, she tightened her grip around the cup, spilling some of the hot liquid in her hand and over the table. How she wished she could just do that, stay away forever from vampires and return to the normal life she led before her sister revealed the truth to her. But no, she had been born cursed, her fate already sealed before she knew it and there was nothing she could do besides sit obediently and wait for death to take her.

'And then I'm brought back to life and turned into a human blood bag,' She stood, leaving her unfinished coffee behind along with a $10 bill to compensate for the mess she had left on the table.

Outside, the crisp autumn air felt good against her skin and she took a moment to breathe in as she adjusted her purse's strap over her shoulder. She looked around, noticing how the leaves were starting to change colour and with them Mystics Falls was already starting their preparations for the month of October. Alex's 18th birthday was fast approaching so Elena made a mental note to take some time off next weekend to shop for her birthday present.

'Maybe I could ask Caroline to come with me?' She mused as she made her way towards her mom's car, still annoyed with their interaction.

Alex jumped out of bed as something landed on her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. Startled, she looked around the room, finding Jeremy standing innocently in the doorway sipping a glass of juice.

"Jeremy what the fuck?" she asked, trowing Roger in his direction. The plushie hit him in the thigh and felt unceremoniously by his side as she grunted unsatisfied.

He smirked slightly, "Just wanted to make sure you were still alive. You oversleep. It's lunchtime."

'What? no no,' Alex checked her phone, 1:37 pm. 'But I set my alarm for 9:30... pm. Crap.' She let out a heavy breath as she stood, making her way to the bathroom with Jeremy following after her.

"Where's Elena? We need to talk." She inquired, reaching for her toothbrush.

"No idea. She was already gone when I woke up." He shrugged, stopping and leaning in the door-frame, "Talk about what?"

She rinsed her mouth before talking, "Pearl was able to contact Mr. Mikaelson. We should be meeting him very soon."

Jeremy tensed, incredulity plastered on his features, "Soon? How soon? Today, next week?" he spoke quickly, getting closer to her, "And Elena doesn't know?"

"No. I was going to talk with you both today. But as you can see," She said, splashing a handful of cold water in her face to fully wake herself up, " Grab my phone and call Elena. Tell her to watch out and keep her guard up." Alex shooed him with a wave of her hand, closing the door behind him using her magic so she could finish her business.

He returned like a minute later, voice muffled by the closed door, he spoke, "She didn't answer-" her phone beeped, "She says she's busy and that we'll talk later," He puffed a breath, "You think she's with him?" he asked worriedly.

If she was, Alex trusted her sister to handle the situation properly. Elena knew her worth and knew that they couldn't harm her yet, not until the rest of the 'ingredients' were gathered as well, lucky for her, Alex had the moonstone, there'll be no ritual as long as it was in her possession. All he could do was scare her a little with promises of pain and suffering for her family and friends but that was it, he wouldn't hurt her. Elena should be able to negotiate their agreed terms with him. Of course, that depended on which Mr. Mikaelson she was talking to. Elijah might've be more lenient and merciful with their cause, Klaus, not so much. He might only agree to let Elena take the elixir if and only if she was able to proof that her survival wouldn't hinder the ritual's results and Alex was the only one who could guarantee that using her 'foresight' as an alibi.

She flung the door open, "We might've be getting ahead of ourselves. She's probably out having lunch with Bonnie."

"And what if she isn't?"

"Then Elena will handle it like we planned it."

It would be easier if her sister could just stay at home where she would be safe and sound while they waited for the bad guys to show up, but alas, they couldn't do that. Not only was it impossible to achieve and very controlling to even think of it as a solution, they couldn't just keep her imprisoned and take her freedom away just because there were bad people outside. They couldn't also reach a middle ground, Elena would never agree to minimise her time outside just because it was dangerous and Alex wouldn't fight her on that. Her sister had already done her part by agreeing to the ritual and the blood milking, asking for more would be taking away her right to make her own decisions and it would cross a line that would cause irreparable damage to their relationship.

Elena was a doppelganger, there's always going to be danger surrounding her for the rest of her life and it would be best if she learned how to live a normal life or as normal as it could get as one. It would be wise if her sister learned how to defend herself, she was proven she was capable of it in the show when she asked Alaric to train her, she could do the same now too. Alex wouldn't be by her side forever and neither did she counted with a duo of brothers willing to do the impossible to keep her safe, neither would Caroline as she wasn't so invested in their friendship as she was in the show, Bonnie might, but with Sheila still around, Alex doubted the young witch would be the martyr of this story. 'Maybe that spot is reserved for me.'

With a shake of her head, Alex dismissed those thoughts, putting them in the back burner for now as she made her way to the kitchen, noticing how quiet the house was, "Where's everyone?" she asked as she walked downstairs.

"Hospital. Mom has a check up scheduled for today." He explained, "They left like 20 minutes ago."

Alex smiled deviously, clapping her hands together, "Then we can order pizza for lunch!"

"I already did."

"When?"

"When you told me to call Elena," he said, raising his arms in defence at the look she shot him, "Only after she didn't answer."

At the mention of her name, their sister finally made her awaited arrival, safe and sound but clearly troubled.

Elena crossed stares with her sister and before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "I was out with Stefan." Alex's face lit up as she smiled and Jeremy frowned with aversion, Elena knew they hadn't understood her words, "Not like that. I wanted to ask him about Damon," That did nothing to change her sister's expression, matter of fact, she looked more giddy than before, "Alex, I'm serious. I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me."

"Sounds like you're in trouble," Jeremy patted her arm and moved to the kitchen to refill his glass of juice.

Alex grew serious then, nodding, "What do you want to know?"

"When he first showed up, you told me to stay away from Damon. Why was that? It makes no sense that you want me to keep my distance from him but you don't do the same."

Ah, so it was that. She was wondering how long it would take Elena to voice her opinion on her hypocrisy. Calmly, Alex addressed her concerns, "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Caroline last night. He's not a goody two-shoes, Elena. He has killed people before and felt no remorse for it. I wasn't sure if he could change his ways or tone them down a bit, but he's already starting to change… Last night, you saw it too, didn't you?"

Elena avoided her gaze, gulping before she nodded. Yes, she had seen it. That's why she had decided to talk to Stefan, because she wanted to learn the truth so she could make up her mind about her feelings towards him and know if she was justified in disliking him. "Still, it's hard for me to forget you just admitted he used to kill people for funsies and welcome him with open arms just because he acted normal last night."

"She's got a point," Jeremy quipped from his spot in the kitchen, now sitting in a stool watching the exchange with curiosity.

Alex realised her mistake then and how she had manipulated her sister's view with her warnings. Elena's concerns were valid and completely reasonable. After all, vampire's had done nothing but cause her distress ever since she learned the truth. She had been stalked, one of her friend's had been attacked and turned into one of them and not to mention she was going to be sacrificed for one's selfish gains soon enough, and with no Stefan by her side to show her that not all vampires were mindless killers and that they could be good if they wanted to, Elena had no other choice but be wary of them. In the show, her love for the Salvatore brothers had served to partly blind Elena from the horrors of their actions, helping her cope and sweep them under the rug and move on before she too started to be a part of them. She was kind of proud to be honest.

Then came the other big question, would Elena think differently of her if she knew about what she'd done in the tombs? Would she be scared of her and be disgusted of her actions? If her sister were to direct those very same stares she gave to Damon at her... Alex didn't think she would be able to bear it. 'But she might understand,' Or she might not. It was a chance she wasn't willing to take.

So with a heavy heart, Alex cupped her sister's face to get her to look at her, "I'm just asking you to give him a chance to prove he's not that bad."

"But what if he is that bad? What if he starts to kill people because he'd got bored of being nice?" Elena shot back, "What then? Do we just let him get away with it because there's a slim he might get a change of heart afterwards?"

'She'll never understand.'

"If it comes to it, then Stefan and I will take care of him." Alex said with finality, letting go of her. "We'll let him desiccate and bury him in the Salvatore's family crypt. But until then, I'm willing to take a risk with him."

Elena shook her head, biting her lip she met her eyes, "...Okay," She drew a deep breath, "I'll let you handle him. But we won't be painting each other's nail any time soon, got it?"

"That's fine by me." Alex smiled at her sister, trying to figure out how she was supposed to deliver the news about the Mikaelson bunch coming to town, but before she could continued pondering her choice of words, someone knocked on the door, "I'll get that." she said as she walked toward the door and opened it- promptly slamming it shut.

She rested a hand on her chest, feeling her racing heart going wild under it. She looked down at her clothes, embarrassed to see she was still wearing her ducklings pyjamas. Red as a tomato, Alex ran a hair down her hair to smoother the bird nest sitting on top of her head, at least she had brushed her teeth. She tightened her hold on the doorknob, coming to the grim acceptance that she'll have to live with the knowledge that a thousand years old vampire just saw her at her worse and most embarrassing self. This was going to feed her nightmares for a while and Alex knew she was going to lay awake tonight just replaying this moment.

Alex sighed dejectedly, finally daring to open the door, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Mikaelson. It was a reflex." She explained weakly, cheeks burning, she stepped aside, putting her brave face on, "Before I invite you in, I would like you to promise me something."

Elijah gave her a small smile that didn't showed his teeth as he nodded slightly, "Of course."

"Can you promise me you won't harm my family nor my friends while you're around," Alex said, catching Elena's attention.

"You have my word, Miss Gilbert." He said as if he found the whole thing amusing, peeking inside her home, catching a glint of Elena's face for the first time, clearly surprised her turned to look at her, "I must admit I didn't expect you to be telling the truth," he mused.

Alex closed the door slightly, glancing back, "Could you give me a moment to talk to my sister to let her know you're here? I don't want to catch her off guard."

He gave her that strange smile again as he took a step back, "Of course. I'll be right here."

She fake coughed, taking a step back, "Right," she muttered meekly, fidgeting before shutting the door softly. Alex wanted to grab a pillow and scream into it. She couldn't believe this was happening! Elena didn't even know he was coming!

"Who's at the door?" Elena asked, taking a bite out of a green apple, "Why are you so pale? Who's outside?" she demanded to know, trying to peek outside from the living room's windows.

"Where's the pizza?" Jeremy asked, jumping down the stool.

Alex shot him a meaningful look before she looked at Elena, "Mr. Mikaelson it outside. Pearl was able to get in touch with him and arrange a meeting," She spoke as calmly as she could.

Elena's head swung in her direction so fast Alex winced at the sight, "What?" she managed to croak out, "Why didn't you tell me?" she muttered with urgency, stalking to her side as Jeremy stood slowly, glancing at the closed door.

"Because she told me last night," Alex whispered back, mindful of the fact that Elijah was definitely listening to them, "And you were sleep before I could talk to you and then you went out this morning,"

"Shot, right. You're right. Sorry," Elena admitted, appetite now gone, she threw her half eaten apple in the trash can. She closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself before opening them again, "You can invite him in. I'm ready now."

Alex assessed her from head to toes, noticing how the colour drained from her face and the slight tremble in her hands that Elena tried to mask by clenching them. "It's going to be okay." she promised her sister quietly as she made her way to the door. Alex also closed her eyes to gather her courage before she opened the door once again, "Please come in, Mr. Mikaelson. Sorry for the mess," she said as soon as he stepped in.

"It's quite alright. I'm partly to blame since I showed up unannounced."

The Gilbert trio sat on the long sofa, sitting as close to each other as they could. Both siblings sat at Elena's sides and Alex intertwined her hand with her younger sister for support as they waited for Elijah to speak. He sat in front of them, poised in the armchair with his business face on as he assessed them quietly. His perfectly pressed grey suit and his 90's heartthrob hairstyle completely his businessman look, just like he looked in the show.

He took a short sip from the tea Alex had offered him before they sat down as he studied them. The boy wasn't subtle with his burning glares but he ignored him, taking notice of the girl's laced hands and how the doppelganger seemed to lean into her sister for comfort. At the sight, he was reminded of how young she was. The girl- Elena- seemed inoffensive, lacking the fire and wit her previous incarnations wore with pride. If he were to compare her to something, he would describe her as a kitten trying to wear a brave face.

The other girl hid her nerves better than her sister and the boy. To his surprise, she didn't seem afraid, just anxious to be around him, almost excited. A very uncommon reaction, especially for a witch and considering he was here to take her sister to be sacrificed. He eyed the doppelganger again, trying to gauge her real thoughts. She didn't look like she was being forced into doing this, actually, she looked like she wanted to get this over with at once.

A very queer pair, indeed. He couldn't imagine what Niklaus would think of them.

"I lived for over a thousand years and never would've I imagined that the doppelganger would freely offer herself to be sacrificed," He commented, lowering his cup into the small plate on his left hand, "An honest assumption, of course. Considering what the previous one did to get away," he said, looking directly at Elena.

"So I've heard," Elena said, tense as a statue, "But I assure you I'm not going to run away."

"May I ask why? You don't look like someone who has a death wish," he then looked at Alex, "Unless you're being forced into this so your sister can gain my brother's favour."

Alex scrunched her face, "Are you really accusing me of sending my sister to die to gain some guy's favour?" She questioned, insulted, "I would take Elena's place without a second thought if I could." She said fiercely, "The only reason we even agreed to do the sacrifice is because I know sooner or later Niklaus will come knocking at our door and he won't be nice enough to make a deal with us."

"And I will? Be nice enough to agree to your terms?" He shot back just because he wanted to know what would be her response.

Alex smirked triumphantly at him, "You will, because I know where your family is ." She waited for a reaction- a twitch on his jaw and a stiffness on his body made itself known so she continued, "Niklaus didn't throw them in the ocean like he told you to. He keeps them in fancy coffins and hauls them around wherever he goes."

Elijah replied evenly, "And what guarantee do I have that you're telling the truth? As far as I know, you could be lying for your own personal reasons."

"So distrustful," Alex teased, crossing her legs, one on top of the other as she leaned back, feeling like she had the upper hand at last, "But let's say I was blessed with the gift of seeing visions of the past and future. I know more about you and your family than you'll ever imagine."

He regarded her thoughtfully, pondering her words, "Prove it."

Alex grew somber as she uncrossed her legs, adjusting her position, she spoke quietly, "I know about your younger brother, Henrik. I've seen how he died." She paused, waiting for Elijah to ask her to stop, but he didn't do such a thing, so she continued, "He was with Niklaus when he died. They just wanted to see the werewolves transform under the moonlight when they were attacked and he-"

"That's enough," He finally interrupted her, "I believe you."

"I'm sorry," Alex apologised sincerely, shifting in her seat, she hadn't mean to bring back his painful memories but she also knew Henrik's death wasn't something the Mikaelson family discussed with just anybody making it the perfect memory to use as proof. Still, she felt awful for doing so, "I'm sorry, that was a low blow. I should've said something else."

He raised a hand to stop her ramblings, "Don't apologise, Miss Gilbert. I was the one who asked for proof. I just didn't expect you to bring up Henrik's death. It's still a sore spot for my family. He was the youngest amongst us and was often babied by everyone. Even our father had a soft spot for him, and when he died, he took all the good that was left on him and us."

"Sorry," Alex apologised again.

Elijah nodded, ready to change the topic, "I'm guessing you know of the existence of the elixir then?" He asked and she confirmed it with a quick nod, "And you want the elixir in exchange of what?"

"I was thinking maybe we could convince your brother to let go of your family,"

"And how exactly are you planning to do that?" He asked, his interest picked but well masked.

"Let's say my knowledge isn't my only weapon."

"You'll have to elaborate on that, dear"

"Right, sorry." She said, a tad embarrassed by being called a pet name by him, "I have the moonstone and I'm the only one who knows where it is." Elena turned to look at her, having no idea what she was talking about, "And I also happen to know some other stuff he might find useful."

Elijah gave her an approving nod, "We can work with that." He said, standing up and Alex did the same. He stretched his arm forward and she took it reluctantly, "We have a deal then."

*screams into the void because we reached 600 follows*

Up next, we'll finally meet the BBH.