I walked into the kitchen to find John watching TV with Elena eating breakfast at the table.

"Good morning." John said to me, smiling.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Coffee?" he asked avoiding the question. Elena just watched the conversation between us.

"We're not doing that. We did that last night, no more avoiding. Why are you here?" I asked him.

"I'm here to protect you, your sister and my grandchild. That's all I can say for the moment." he told me and I glared at him.

"What do you mean that's all you can say?" I asked him.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you." he told me and my glare deepened. I heard Jenna and Alaric talking as they came closer to us.

"I'm late." Jenna told him as they rounded the corner.

"That's what you get for hitting the snooze three times." Alaric told her.

"What the hell?" Jenna asked as she looked up at John.

"Good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric…" John said smiling.

"It's okay I'm confused, right? Because we were not excepting you like ever." Jenna said.

"Well, I got in late last night. Elena let me in." he told her and I glanced at my sister, questions dancing through my head.

"You know, I'm probably just gonna take off." Alaric said glancing at us before leaving.

"I'm still confused here." Jenna said looking at all of us.

"I decided to come back and stay for a while." John told her.

"Not here, you're not." Jenna told him.

"Jenna, I could kiss you." I said hugging her

"Actually, you can't stop me from living here." he told her.

"Actually I can, as legal guardian." Jenna told him.

"Yeah, about that… Elena, Nicole, you want me to explain the situation or would you like to do the honors?" John asked us.

"Okay, what's going on?" Jenna asked looking at them.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I should have told you earlier but…" Elena tried telling her but John cut her off.

"I'm Nicole and Elena's biological father. There, now you know." John said leaving us alone with Jenna.

"What?!" Jenna asked us.


I sat in the living room when Damon came in. He looked at me before looking around.

"Where's John?" he asked.

"He's not here, he left. I don't know where he went. He just blew in, announced to Jenna that he's our dad and then took off." I told him.

"That's public knowledge now?" Damon asked.

"Apparently." I told him.

"Are you okay?" he asked us.

"Yeah. Jenna's head spinning but we're okay." Elena told him.

"He said what he was doing here?" Damon asked us.

"No. You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help us." Elena told him.

"Do you believe him?" Damon asked.

"Yes, we do." Elena told him.

"No. I don't believe him for a second." I told him and she gave me a look.

"I don't believe him either." Damon said.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked him.

"Kill him." Damon said and I played with the idea in my head.

"Damon…" Elena said as Damon started to leave.

"I'm joking. Okay, I'm a little serious." Damon told us.

"Damon!" Elena called after him again.

"I'm not gonna hurt him, Elena. I'm the good guy now, remember?" Damon asked her.

"What does that mean?" I asked him.

"I'm gonna have a civil conversation with your father." he told us.

"Wait, I'm coming with you." I told him with Elena following me.


The three of us walked in to the Grill and saw John talking with Jenna and Ric.

"We just need answers." I reminded Damon.

"Please don't do anything stupid." Elena asked him.

"Yeah but stupid is so much more fun." Damon said and I smiled.

"Damon, I mean it. All I'm asking is you try to keep it together. Be the better man." Elena told him and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay then." he said as he joined them. "John, buddy, how have you been?"

"I've been alright, Damon. It's good to see you." John told him.

"So why do you believe John?" I asked her.

"I don't, but I want to." she told me. "I don't trust the deal we made with Elijah, I want to find a way out of it." she told me and I just looked at her weird.

"I don't." I told her walking away.

"Why not?" she asked me. "You're pregnant, you should be doing everything you can to take care of your baby. But you're being so selfish right now." she told me.

"I made a separate deal with Elijah, one that protects my baby and everyone else. So don't you dare try to guilt trip me, little sister." I said glaring at her.


"What deal did you make with Elijah?" Elena asked me.

"One that helps people." I told her.

"But where you die?" she asked me and I looked at the bar to see Damon talking with Jenna and Andie Star, Jenna's friend.

"I came home to die, Elena. Things are just going differently than originally planned." I told her as Damon walked to us. "You totally blew her off." I said looking from her to him.

"I'm steering clear off all women at the moment." Damon told me.

"You didn't have to be rude." Elena told him.

"Trust me, it's in the best interest of women everywhere." Damon said as Elena's phone rang.

"Stefan? What is it?" She asked. She was quiet for a moment before looking up at us. Damon, Elena and I walked into the restroom and told Damon about Tyler.

"Why am I just finding out about this now?" Damon asked us.

"Stefan was worried that you…" Elena said but never finished.

"That I'll what? That I'd kill him? Of course, it's what's need to happen." Damon told her.

"No Damon, not Tyler. Do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?" I told him.

"Why? He's a werewolf, he needs to die. I'm willing to kill him, it's win-win." Damon said and Elena touched his arm.

"Damon please, okay? Too many people are dead." Elena reminded him.

"You need to stop doing that." Damon told her and I looked at him confused.

"Doing what?" she asked him.

"Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking." Damon said looking from her to me.

"Be the better man, Damon." Elena said. John opened the door and entered the room.

"Do you mind?" Damon asked him.

"What's going on?" John asked us.

"Nothing." I told him.

"It doesn't look like nothing." John said.

"Well guess what John, trust works both ways. Get out." Damon told him turning back to us.

"Look, we don't have time for this. We need to get Caroline back." I told him.

"We don't need to do anything. I'll take care of it." Damon told me before turning to look at John. "First dad duty: ground your daughters. Keep them here." He said before leaving.

"I'm coming with you" I told him.

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm with Damon on this one. No, stop, stop. You're not going anywhere. Just tell me what's going on." John told me and I gave him a look.

"And why would I do that?" I asked him.


I walked out of the restrooms some time later and John stepped in front of me.

"You're not leaving this restaurant." he told me.

"You can't tell me what to do." I told him.

"Yes I can. You want to know why? Because I'm here to make sure you stay safe. Your sister is letting me protect her why won't you?" he asked me.

"Because you don't deserve my trust and you know what I've got keeping myself safe covered." I told him trying to walk past him. He slammed his hand against the wall to stop me from walking away from him.

"Are you talking about the deal that you made with Elijah? Do you really think he's gonna keep his promise to you? Putting your faith in him was a dumb move." John told me. I gave him a look.

"Are you saying I should put my faith in you? After everything that I hear you did?" I asked him.

"Stefan, Damon and I had our difference and I've made mistakes but you, your sister, your child and I, we're family." he told me and my look darkened.

"You don't get to use that word. You don't get to tell me how to take care of my child!" I told him.

"Fine, but it doesn't change the facts." he told me.

"You're right. Facts are facts so listen up: Gryson was my father not you, you haven't earned the right to that title. When it comes to my child, you haven't earned the right to call yourself it's grandfather, got it?" I asked walking away from him. I went outside and pulled out of my phone dialing a number.

"Nicole?" the person on the other line said.

"I have a problem that you need to fix Elijah." I told him.


Elena and I were in the kitchen getting something to drink. Elena reached into the fridge and when we closed it John was there.

"I'm sorry about earlier." he said. Elena looked between us then left the room with her water.

"Enough already. I don't want you here and I can't make that anymore clear." I told him.

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Nicole." he told me.

"Yeah I know, you're here to protect me. Got it now get in line." I told him.

"I thought you might want this. It;s been passed down in the family since Johnathon Gilbert." he told me showing me a ring.

"I've already got enough jewelry thanks." I told him.

"It was given to me by Grayson after you and Elena were born. He knew I was your father and he thought I should be the one to give it to one of you. I found it in a box with some things that your dad left me. Here, it's yours now." he told me and he put the ring in my hand. It had a red gem in it on a silver band. "Miranda and Grayson were your parents, Nicole, and I know I'm nothing to you. You have no reason to believe me or trust me. I've done so many horrible things but when you lost your parents, I lost my brother, my family. I lost my way. I know that I probably won't ever make things right with you but I'm gonna do everything I can to protect you and protect this family." he told me, leaving the room. Hot, fresh tears made their way down my face. I turned and saw Stefan with Elena next to him.

"Nicole." he said giving me a small smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I'm fine." he told me I nodded.

"Did you hear that? I don't believe him, Stefan. I just don't." I told them about to walk to my room when they stopped me.

"How's Caroline?" Elena asked him.

"I could use help, from both of you." he said looking at the two of us.


Stefan had Elena, Bonnie and I hide as he knocked on Caroline's door.

"What's going on?" she asked him.

"I was a bit worried about you after everything you went through tonight." Stefan told her.

"I'm fine." she told him.

"Good but just in case, I brought some back up." he said backing up as the three of us walked in her house.

"We're gonna slumber in." Elena told her.

"We haven't done it in ages." Bonnie told her.

"And I haven't had good slumber in even longer than that." I told her. We all hugged each other as Care cried.