She Knew

by WhiteHairedD

Elena and Angela Gilbert were born on June 22nd, 1992 in Mystic Falls, Virginia. But Angela knew. And because she knew, it was easy for her to carve out a purpose for herself in her new life: protect her family (blood-related or otherwise) and prevent as many pointless deaths as possible. One thing she didn't know, however, was just how difficult that would prove to be. [SI-OC OT3]

18. Monster

This year of law school has been killing me, but I refuse to die. Thank you so much for your unending patience ❤️ I truly, truly appreciate it.

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CHAPTER 17

MONSTER

.

Angela truly did sleep like a baby. And she felt normal; as if nothing happened last night. None of the revelations, or the near-death experiences, or the late-night scheming with Damon. Nothing. That constant weight on her chest was so light it was nearly absent, and part of her found that she missed it, having found comfort in its familiarity.

When she thought back to the two vampires that died and to how Elena reacted, she felt nothing. She felt nothing when she saw Jenna that morning; who had bags beneath her bloodshot eyes and a cup of coffee between her hands that smelled stronger than a semi-truck. She couldn't tell if that was good or bad; if that made her good or bad. Part of her was just glad that getting out of bed that morning was a little bit easier.

The morning breeze made her pull her jacket tighter against her body as she ascended the steps to the Lockwood mansion. Tyler was already there. When he saw her from behind the glass doors, he opened them to let her in.

"Come on," he said. "My mom left half an hour ago and Dad's not back yet. Feel free to talk about what I assume is another supernatural shitstorm."

Angela entered the house, only half-surprised at how he guessed her motive straight away. "What kind of business trips are mayors required to go on anyway?"

"The kind that require them to screw nineteen-year-olds in Whitmore college."

Angela made a show of gagging.

Tyler led her into the parlor, through the dining area, and finally to the large but comfortable family room. The light that shone in through the windows refracted off the white marble coffee table, making it glow like the sun itself. Morning birdsong was audible even through the thick, brick walls that shielded them, and outside, the leaves of the tulip trees rustled in the wind.

"You don't look like you're in a hurry." Tyler perched on the top of the brown, leather armchair.

Angela leaned against a wall and crossed her arms. Her high ponytail tickled the nape of her neck. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Usually when someone texts you, 'Can I come over? It's important,' they're a little more… impatient."

"Do you get many texts like that?"

"Yeah. From you."

She smiled. "That checks out. How do you feel about messing with your adulterous dad?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"What, he deserves a little misfortune in his life. Think of yourself as a distributor of karma."

Tyler snorted. "You're not the one that has to live with him."

"I won't get you in trouble."

"Yeah? Last time you said that, my mom caught us destroying the lawn."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I would hardly call what we did 'destroying'. You don't even have to do anything. Just give me the combination to his safe."

"You want to get in that thing again?"

"It's important."

"Yeah, you said that already. Sorry, Angie. You'll have to find another way."

Angela pressed her lips into a tight, stern line, debating whether or not she should bring out the big guns. Ah, fuck it. "What if I buy you weed?"

Tyler froze. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to what she was saying. "What?" he managed.

"I know you smoke it. And I know who you get it from. I'll buy you a quarter."

"Are you serious?"

Angela nodded.

Tyler barked a laugh. "Wow. That's…" He laughed again and kept laughing, doubling over until he had to slide down and sit on the armchair properly. His face had gone a bit red from the lack of air. "You know what? Sure. But only if you smoke a joint with me. I need to see you get high at least once in my lifetime."

"If memory serves, I get very existential."

"You've gotten high before?"

"Not in this life."

His grin was wide. "Sometimes I forget how cool you are."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Being passed out cold in a stranger's bathtub is not cool."

"You need to start telling me more stories about your past self. She sounds like a party animal."

She was an animal alright. Angela went to play it off, but the purring of a car rolling up the driveway distracted her. The sound was deep, like it came from a very powerful engine. "Did your mom forget something?"

"That's not my mom's car."

"Ricky," Jenna's lilting voice supplied inside her mind. She heard keys jingling outside the house moments before the front door opened. There was the thump of what sounded like a suitcase hitting the floor.

"I'm home," Richard's strong voice called out.

Tyler's eyes shut in both dread and annoyance. "In here, Dad."

A pair of dress shoes clacked solidly against the floor as Richard maneuvered the house in search of his son. Finally, his dark, lightly greying head came into view. There were stress lines on his handsome face that never went away, and he was wearing his usual suit and tie getup. When he saw Tyler, ire hardened his dark eyes, though it was juxtaposed by the smile he offered Angela. It always amazed her how much Tyler took after him physically. She wondered if he hated that about himself.

"Good morning, Angela." Richard gave her a once-over. "It's nice to see you again."

She gave him a sunny, charming grin so he wouldn't grow suspicious. "Hi, Mayor Lockwood. I heard you were on a trip. I'm glad you got home safe."

"Thank you. How long have you been here?"

"Only a couple minutes."

Richard's gaze shifted to Tyler. "And you haven't so much as offered her a glass of water?"

Tyler's lips parted, but he took too long to answer. Angela answered for him.

"He did. I wasn't thirsty. I hydrate very well. Good for the skin, you know?"

Richard made a noise of acknowledgment deep in his throat. His eyes never left his son. "And what about the gate? Didn't you notice the rust gathering at the edges? I thought I told you to fix it while I was gone." He always spoke pleasantly when there were others in the room; like he was only doing his duty as a father by chastising his son. Had Angela been a stranger, she might not have seen through the façade to realize how cruel he was.

Tyler had trouble meeting his gaze. "I forgot."

Angela let out a bashful laugh that captured Richard's attention. "I'm afraid he's covering for me. There's this really hard test tomorrow, and I've been hounding him to study with me so much that it distracted him from his other duties. They're crazy for testing us this early in the school year, I swear."

Richard studied every movement in Tyler's face. "Is that true?"

"Yeah. It's true."

"Look at me when you're speaking, boy," Richard continued in that pleasant tone. He even smiled a little. "Shouldn't set a bad example for your friend."

Tyler stood up straighter and met Richard's gaze. His Adam's apple bobbed. "Yeah," he repeated. "It's true."

"Hm. Good. We might hang that test of yours on the fridge. Hard work should be rewarded. I want it on my desk as soon as it gets graded."

"Sure." Tyler's voice was tight. "I'll do that."

"I'm heading out to meet with someone this evening. I'm sure you can manage without me. Now, I'm going to rest for a few hours. It was a long trip. Try to keep it down until you leave."

"No problem, Mayor Lockwood," Angela responded. "Have a nice nap."

The lines around his mouth deepened when he smiled at her. "Call me Richard."

He bid them goodbye, and as soon as he rounded the corner to head upstairs, the change in Tyler was palpable. His fists were clenched. His eyes were dark. His jaw was tight. He was angry.

"Ty…"

"What do you need from his safe?"

"Talk to me first. Tell me how you feel so we can fix it."

Tyler scoffed. "There's nothing to fix. You saw that. I'm strong enough to beat up every single kid at our school, but I still need a weak little girl to stand up for me in front of my dad. That's embarrassing."

"That's different," she said. "It's different when it's someone you have to live with; someone you're related to; someone that's meant to love you."

"Why? Why is it different? He's just a person, like everyone else."

"No one else is your dad."

Tyler began to pace. He reminded her of a wolf when he got angry. Prowling, hunched, ready to strike. How long until he became one?

"I need to punch something before I blow up at you," he said.

"Do you still have the boxing bag in the—"

"Of course I do." Without notice, he marched outside in search of the shed that bordered the house, forcing her to follow.

He shoved the door open with a bang so loud it made Angela flinch. She glanced once behind her, to make sure Richard hadn't heard him.

Tyler didn't bother putting on the gloves. He just began unloading on the black bag that hung in the corner. Angela watched his partially-lit figure from the doorway, not sure what to do. The faint birdsong and scent of freshly-watered grass were an afterthought when compared to the loud, violent impact of Tyler's fury.

After a while, he drew his fist back, and she saw that his knuckles were as red and angry-looking as him. He managed to draw blood. She needed to stop him before he broke his hand.

"Tyler."

He gave no indication that he heard her, hitting the bag again and again. A streak of red formed on the black cloth covering.

"Tyler," she repeated, louder.

"Not now."

"But you're bleeding."

"I don't care."

Every second's passing was marked by Tyler's steady thud, thud, thud as he continued to ignore her. When she realized that he wasn't going to listen, she sighed and leaned against the doorframe.

He was a recipe for disaster. Teenagers were moody enough on their own, but throw in a dormant werewolf gene and an abusive father, and the rage that lorded over him his entire life must have been unfathomable.

He reared back one last time to give the bag a final, powerful hit before going still. His arms went limp, dragging his shoulders down with them. His back rose and fell as he panted, a bead of sweat crawling down his neck. "I'm done," he uttered.

Angela pushed herself off the doorframe and walked over to him. She laid a hand on his bicep and guided him to turn around. She gingerly grabbed his hands and looked them over. Blood was smeared all across his knuckles and the back of his fingers.

"You've made a mess." She looked up at him. There was a muddled mix of emotions on his face. Exhaustion. Defeat. Sorrow. A lingering touch of anger. So many emotions…

Angela wiped at the blood in the guise of cleaning it up. Her hands became as red as his.

"You're just making it worse," he said when she was done. She ignored him, examining the torn skin.

"Do you think you broke anything?"

He shook his head, letting his hands slip away. "Just need to wrap them up. At least it'll make me look like a badass."

He was trying to deflect. She decided to let him. Whatever helped.

"I'll forge it for you," she said. "The test. All you'll have to do is fill in the answers. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

"You don't have to do that."

"I will regardless."

He glanced at the floor. His mouth opened so he could say something, but he decided not to.

"What?" Angela prompted.

"No. It's dumb."

"Tell me anyway."

He hesitated, grabbing at whatever unmarred flesh was still present on his hands. "Sometimes it feels like you're the only one that cares about me. I mean, really cares. Not even Caroline cared this much when we were…" He trailed off. Angela's heart contracted in pain.

"Maybe they just don't know what to do," she said.

"Maybe. I told you it was dumb."

"If it's an honest feeling, it isn't dumb. But you should bring it up to the others. I'm sure they don't mean to make you feel that way."

He was visibly uncomfortable. "Doesn't matter," he said stiffly. "Enough about me. What do you want from my dad's safe?"

Angela considered pressing the subject, but thought that maybe he wasn't ready to have this conversation. "There's an oval-shaped box in there, with the markings of a compass etched in front. I want what's inside."

"What if he notices it's gone? Only reason he didn't notice the moonstone is because you gave me a replica." One that she had Sheila enchant to seem as magical as the real thing, at that.

"I only want it for today. He said he was going to meet someone later, didn't he? See if you can find out when. Maybe we can time it so that the compass is gone when he is too."

"Why do you want it anyway?"

"I'll tell you at school. This information concerns the entire group."

Tyler snorted. "What group?"

Angela clicked her tongue. "Don't be like that. They'll come around. We have to let them do it on their own."

"And what if they don't?"

"Then I'll make them."

"That's ominous."

She smiled. A real smile; not like the ones she offered Richard. "Life-threatening situations make even the worst enemies band together to survive."

"That's super ominous."

"It's a last case scenario."

He coughed to cover up a laugh. "Fine. I'll get it. But remember, you're smoking a joint with me. Soon."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good." He winced, the pain from his knuckles finally kicking in. "I'm going to go take care of this before he sees."

"Sure. Oh, wait! One second."

Angela reared back and punched him in the stomach as hard as she possibly could.

Tyler actually stumbled back a bit. He looked down at his stomach, then back at her, utterly bewildered.

Angela couldn't contain her glee. "That was for calling me a weak little girl, you dick. Now go. I'm right behind you."

Tyler let out a breathless laugh and rubbed the spot that she hit. "Crazy," he mumbled before walking out of the shed.

When he was out of sight, Angela raised a hand to the level of her eyes. She spread her fingers, watching Tyler's essence cling to them like a spiderweb, glistening red beneath the sunlight. She hesitated for a moment, before bringing one down into her mouth. It tasted like blood. She felt nothing.

.

In a way, Tyler had been right. There was no unified group anymore. Angela and Elena had been forced to reveal the events of the previous night in parts. They came up with a slightly altered story for Caroline and Tyler, and settling it with a coin toss, decided that Angela would be the one to relay it to them. Elena had been more than happy to tell Anna, Harper, and Bonnie the actual truth about what happened. Though she had to do so carefully, so the others wouldn't grow suspicious.

Angela told Caroline and Tyler the truth as well; mostly. The only part she left out was Stefan's involvement in the whole matter. Instead, the twins managed to kill the vampires all on their own. In a moment of weakness, Caroline brought her into a fierce, comforting hug. She cooed, "You poor thing," but then remembered they were supposed to be fighting for whatever stupid reason and let her go.

Both groups were told about Jenna knowing that vampires existed and the plan they had about the Gilbert-Bennett compass. Anna seemed particularly displeased about that last part, allegedly asking Elena to give her one last chance to find the stray on her own before they resorted to that measure. She didn't succeed. Elena was adamant about not letting any more innocent people die, and this was the surest way.

Lunchtime came, and they each took their seats at their two separate tables. Once more, Bonnie, Tyler, and Angela looked at each other longingly, wishing that this drama would just end already and they could sit together again. Elena was the last to show up. When she did, Stefan was with her.

The four of them fell into pleasant conversation, getting to know each other better. No one asked anything too intrusive, with Elena always skirting around the subject of Damon and seeming hyper-conscious about Stefan's feelings. They would have that "serious talk" about him later, Angela supposed.

Anna, for one, was glad to be around another vampire over the age of one hundred. Sometimes that still blew Angela's mind; two of the people in her close friend group were well past the age of natural death. Perhaps she should start visiting old folks' homes, seeing how well she got along with the elderly.

The period was about halfway through when they were interrupted by a thin, purple sheet of paper landing in the middle of the table, let loose by a set of perfectly manicured fingers.

Angela looked up to see Caroline staring down at them. There was a calculating gleam in her arctic blue eyes that had only been present twice in recent memory: when they came up with the plan to ruin that bully's life, and when she slapped Damon across the face. Both times were to protect her friends. It hurt to see that same look directed at them now.

Caroline aimed a sweet smile at Stefan. "Hey! I didn't know you'd be here. I guess it makes sense. Elena must have gotten bored of not having any boys at the table."

"Hey," Anna snapped. "Be nice."

Caroline grimaced. "Sorry. That's me, I guess. Always saying the wrong thing." She placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder, looking at him with her big, blue eyes. "You'll forgive me, won't you?"

Angela raised an eyebrow. She cast a glance over at the other half of the group. Tyler and Bonnie looked like they wanted to die.

"It wasn't me you were talking about." Stefan kept his tone light, but Angela could tell that he was on guard. "I don't have a say in the matter."

"Mm, but you have a say in this." Caroline leaned over and tapped on the sheet of paper. "HALLOWEEN PARTY - OCTOBER 31 AT 7 PM," it read in orange-tinted Chiller font. Ghosts and pumpkins littered the purple graveyard that made up the background. "What do you think?"

Elena frowned. "I forgot about that."

Caroline looked her up and down in a classic mean girl sweep. "Halloween is tomorrow and you still don't have a costume?"

"Not from this year."

"I don't have one either," Angela said.

"Me neither," Anna echoed. "Though I guess I could go as a vampire."

Elena gave a small laugh. "And maybe I could go as your victim."

Anna's face brightened. "That's perfect! I'm sure fake blood isn't hard to find."

"O— Oh, no, I was joking."

Anna's face dropped. "Oh. Right. Of course you were. Sorry. I just… I don't get invited to many parties. Guess I got a little excited."

Elena looked like she had kicked a puppy. "Actually… you know what? It does sound fun. Maybe we could go buy a tube of it after school."

"No, it's fine. Don't feel bad, I—"

"I want to." Elena cut her off. "Really, I do. I'm not just saying that to make you feel better."

After waiting a moment to make sure Elena was serious, Anna cheered up. "Sounds good."

"And what about the two of you?" Caroline looked between Angela and Stefan. Rather, she barely glanced at Angela, then gazed deep into Stefan's soul. "Are you… coming?"

Angela froze.

Don't.

Don't do it.

Don't laugh.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh.

She wasn't above jealousy, but… how could she get angry at that? The distant sight of Bonnie trying to hide behind her hair and Tyler rubbing his temples with a wrapped-up hand only added to the absurdity of it all. Maybe he could go as a mummy this year.

Stefan turned towards Angela, and she saw it again. That caring edge and near-invisible smile that puppeteered his lips. "Are you?"

It took Caroline reacting in shock for Angela to finally figure out what she was doing. It would be easy to assume that she was surprised because he hadn't responded to her directly, but that wasn't it. Stefan's question mirrored the one he posed to Elena right after he enrolled; when Elena still had feelings for him. Now, Caroline wanted to see who would get jealous or defensive, to see whose feelings she could use for who-knows-what. Maybe she only wanted to tuck the info away as blackmail.

"Of course I am," Angela stated. "You're helping organize it, aren't you, Caroline? I wouldn't want to let your hard work go unseen. You always do a stellar job."

For a second, Caroline looked like her best friend again. She closed herself off and straightened up, no longer invading Stefan's space. "First, you need a costume," she told Angela. "And I mean a real costume. I refuse to have you go as a ketchup bottle twice in a row."

"You have to admit, it was pretty funny to see the nozzle sticking up above all those sexy outfits."

"I refuse," Caroline repeated vehemently.

Angela sighed. "Fine. I'll buy a costume you approve of. How's that?"

"Better. You should take Stefan with you. He needs a costume too."

What was her endgame? Was she only trying to confirm her suspicions? A glance at Elena told her that she had no clue either.

"I suppose that depends on him, doesn't it?" Angela said dryly. She tried to convey a silent apology for putting him on the spot. "What do you think, Stef?"

Judging by the crinkles around his eyes, he was amused. "Could be fun."

"Great!" Caroline chirped, bringing her hands together in a halfhearted clap. "Glad that's settled. See you on Halloween!" She turned on the balls of her feet and gracefully sauntered back to the others.

Anna slouched down with a huff. "Well that was awkward."

"Yeah." Elena looked at Stefan. "I'm really sorry about her. I swear she's not usually like this."

He waved her away. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"No, really, she should know better. She's just vengeful and mad at me."

"I think she's mad at both of us," Angela said. "Though I don't know what triggered it. When we woke Sheila up, she made us believe that she was upset at Bonnie, but how come she's over there talking to her like nothing happened?" She nodded towards the other table, where Caroline was teasing Bonnie over something they couldn't hear. "It's us she attacked more viciously, and she spurned me when I tried making peace with her in a way she never had before. Like I was an extension of you."

"Maybe that's it," Elena said. "She's mad at you because she's mad at me."

"Or she's mad at us independently."

"Or," Anna said, "Elena has it the other way around. She's mad at her because she's mad at Angela." She paused. A small crease formed on her forehead. "I never thought I'd get roped into high school drama."

Stefan chuckled. "Me neither. At least it's better than dealing with vampire attacks."

The corner of Anna's lips curled upward. "I don't know. I kind of prefer the attacks. They're less deadly than Caroline."

Elena covered her mouth, trying to hide a laugh. "That's my best friend you're talking about."

Anna looked her dead in the eyes, challenging her. "Is she?"

"Yes." Elena's mirth died. "Of course she is. We don't give up on each other just because things get hard. Even if we want to sometimes."

"I almost forgot," Angela said. "We're all a bunch of saps." She nudged Anna's leg beneath the table, making her jump. "Even you. Your cool girl act doesn't fool me."

"Act?" Anna sounded offended. "It's not an act. I am cool. Right, Stefan?"

He looked a bit afraid to say the wrong thing, probably imagining all the different ways she could kill him. "Yeah. You are."

"Oh? So you're agreeing with Angela?"

"No, I'm agreeing with–"

"So you don't think I'm cool? Wow. Way to make a first impression."

"That's not what I–"

"Are you telling me I'm wrong?"

"I know what you're trying to–"

"Know what I'm trying to do? Do you mean I'm incapable of concealing my motives?"

He rolled his eyes. "Anna, please, we're both too old to–"

"Old? Now you're calling me old? And just when I thought you couldn't get any more insulting." Anna looked like the Cheshire Cat made flesh.

"Oh, stop torturing the poor boy," Angela intervened. "That's my job." When Stefan graced her with a narrow, unamused stare, she shot him a grin that rivaled Anna's.

"You both suck," Elena said happily. "But anyway… Angie, we never talked about what time we're looking for that vampire."

"Depends on Tyler. We hope he'll give me the compass when his dad is out of the house. Said he'd be meeting with someone but didn't say when."

"Six o'clock," Anna said. "He's meeting with my mom."

"Oh." Angela blinked. "That's… actually perfect." A bit too perfect.

"What does Pearl want with the mayor?" Stefan asked.

"He showed a certain… interest in her during the Founders' Party," Anna replied awkwardly. "She thought it was good to start making, um, 'friends'."

"Wait," Angela said. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me that Pearl is seducing my best friend's dad?"

"Seducing is a strong word," Anna said. "She's just using his idiocy to her advantage."

Then… between her and Damon… Angela looked over at Tyler. That poor fucking kid.

"Six does sound perfect," Elena cut in. "Shopping first, then I'll join you, Angie."

Angela absently agreed. Elena didn't seem to pick up on the possibility of Carol and Richard's relationship officially crumbling soon, and it was clear that Anna couldn't care less. Was Tyler right? Was she the only one that cared about him?

It was completely unfounded, but she had thought better of Anna if no one else. She was the oldest, meaning more wisdom, and she seemed to care about her and Elena. Why wouldn't she care about the rest of them? Now, Angela wondered why she would care. She was a vampire, and vampires rarely cared about humans. Even Angela rarely cared about humans, because she was trying to protect herself. Was protecting herself worth it if people like Tyler got hurt?

She thought back to the two vampires that died yesterday, then further back to the tomb. How many of them were like Tyler? How many were like Bonnie? Caroline? Elena? How many people viewed her as a villain? How many people were right?

Someone laid a hand on her knee. She followed it up until Stefan's face came into view. His mouth moved, but it made no sound beneath that of Elena and Anna talking. Angela read his lips. "What's wrong?" An open book, he called her. And he was kind. Maybe he would understand.

She glanced at Anna first, then at Tyler, then back at Stefan, begging him to make the connection. She could tell that his mind was working, and working, and working. Finally, his face went lax. He squeezed her knee ever so slightly before letting go. Then, he mouthed the one word that told her he understood. "Damon."

But it wasn't just Damon anymore. Perhaps it never was. Angela tried to convey that message through a single rise and fall of her shoulders.

Next thing she knew, Stefan was excusing himself from the table, saying that he would like to speak to her alone. She didn't protest, letting him guide her outside the cafeteria. When she glanced back one last time, she caught Caroline's suspicious gaze, but couldn't bring herself to care.

Stefan brought her to a stop down the winding hallway and close to the classrooms, where they were unlikely to be disturbed.

"You looked like you needed space," he said hesitantly, like he was unsure whether he should speak at all.

Angela crossed her arms and leaned against a locker. "You worry too much. I'm not made of glass."

"Can't blame me after yesterday."

"Even before then."

"Do you not need space?"

Angela sighed through her nose. "No. I mean yes. I mean— I do want space. But not because I'm going to have another public meltdown. I just need to think."

"Alone?"

"No. Not if it's you that's keeping me company."

He said nothing, but that beautiful, ancient smile of his appeared again, letting her know that he was pleased.

"God, you're pretty."

It took her a second to realize that she said those words out loud. By the time she did, it was too late to take them back.

"Pretty?" Stefan choked out. It was impossible to decipher the look on his face. Was he amused or flustered? She was flustered. Don't panic. Make fun of him. That helps.

"Sorry," she blurted out, desperate to cool her suddenly flaming skin. "Does that word clash with your macho ideals?"

"N– No, nothing like that. I've just… never been called pretty before."

"Oh? Then what have you been called?"

"Well…" He leaned in as if to tell her a secret, speaking in a hushed, grave tone. "Don't tell anyone, but I've been called updog once or twice."

Angela cocked her head. "Updog," she repeated simply. "What's updog?"

For the very first time since she met him, she saw a slow, shit-eating grin crawl across Stefan's face. The physical similarity to his brother became uncanny.

And then it hit her.

Wait.

Wait.

No way.

Angela gaped at him. "Did you–? Was that–?"

"Not much," he said slowly, as if savoring every syllable. "What's up with you?"

Not wanting to prolong the satisfaction her reaction was causing him, she quickly composed herself. "Wow. I'm almost impressed by how childish that was."

Stefan shrugged. "What else was I supposed to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. 'Handsome'? 'Sweet'? 'Good at cooking'?"

"That would be bragging."

"Just because the things you've been called are favorable doesn't mean that repeating them is bragging."

"Not all of them are favorable."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It's not bad to give yourself credit when it's due."

"Isn't it?"

"Why would it be?"

"You know why."

She thought for a moment. "The blood addict thing?"

He gave her a tight smile. "To put it bluntly."

"Hm. Okay. Well. Since you think it's bad to give you credit, let me be the bad guy. You controlled yourself again. Last night. You know, when two humans were bleeding out in front of you? Your first instinct was to heal us. I didn't even see your face change until you had to bite yourself."

He looked like he was trying to recall something. "You're right," he said, visibly confused. "The only thing I could focus on was keeping you alive."

"You told me something similar before. I still don't know how that's possible, but maybe we can use it to help you. Besides, you've already had my blood, right? Maybe we can use even more of it to help you gain control."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said pointedly, "something tells me that if we train you to feed off of humans by using me, we might actually get somewhere."

His shoulders stiffened. "You want me to drink your blood?"

"To put it bluntly. But not directly from me, and not a lot. At least not at first. We'll start slow, mixing in a few drops with animal blood so you can barely taste the difference, and work our way up until we condition you to feel the same way you do when you normally feed."

"You… sound like you've thought about this before."

"Because I have. I thought about it ages ago. I just wanted to know that you trust me enough before trying to talk to you about it."

He seemed thoroughly troubled. His eyebrows cast a shadow over his eyes and he clenched his sharp jaw. "I don't think that's a good idea." A locker slammed shut in the distance before a set of squeaky shoes ran down the hallway. "And I don't think this is a good place to have this discussion."

Angela performed a quick scan of the area, saw no one, and dragged him further down, into the janitor's closet. It was so cramped that she nearly knocked the mop over during her effort to fit inside. She shut the door without bothering to turn the light on. He was visible enough from the light shining in through the small window.

"Better?" she asked.

He looked equal parts proud and frustrated. "Should've known you'd find a solution."

"Did you not want me to?"

"I thought you'd drop the subject."

Her confidence faltered, worried that she had overstepped his boundaries. "Did you want me to?"

He shuffled a bit to try and get more comfortable, but that only caused his chest to brush against hers. Of course. Why wouldn't she have dragged him into a room so small they couldn't move without touching? She was an idiot.

"I don't know," he responded. "I kind of like it when you surprise me. Makes life more interesting."

Angela cleared her throat. "Is that so?" She could feel him breathing against her.

"Yes. It is." He smiled as if he was listening to her heart's quickening tempo. He probably was. Still, he didn't say anything, the considerate bastard.

"What if I firebombed your house?"

He was the only person that stripped away her ability to act normal just by being in her general proximity. He must have thought she was an idiot too.

His hearty burst of laughter washed that doubt away. He shut his mouth and glanced to the side, quieting down before someone heard them. "I'd be pretty surprised," he said, the remnants of mirth still present in his voice. It felt good to make him laugh. So good that it made her laugh a little too.

Why were they here again? Oh. Right. "We were talking about your diet, weren't we?"

He sighed, combing a hand through his hair. She wanted to touch it too. "Yeah. But look, I've tried to control it before. It always ends badly. I don't want you to have to deal with that."

"Have you tried it this way?"

"Not exactly. But the basic idea was the same."

"That means nothing. The devil's in the details. Last time, your method was different and you were less experienced. Do you want to be weak forever?"

"I'd rather be weak than take an innocent person's life."

Nobody's innocent, she almost said, but figured it wasn't the right time. Nor was he the right person. But that was one of the reasons she liked him so much. He wanted to be good.

"What if you have to be strong in order to save an innocent person's life?" she argued instead. "Or something happens and you lose control because we didn't try? Will you be able to resist the call of an innocent person's blood next time?"

He was beginning to look irritated. "You say that because you don't know what it's like. I've tried to do this, time and time again, and every time I've lost control. Even if only one person has to pay the price, their loved ones suffer too. It's never just one person."

"So you're scared," she stated.

"Of course I'm scared. You would be too, if you were me."

"But I'm not you. That's the key. You need a third party that's determined to keep you in check and on schedule. Someone who can view things objectively and not let their fears get in the way of progress. I can do that. Let me be that third party."

"How? I could break every bone in your body. I'd bypass your restrictions in a second. If we try this and I lose control, I could seriously hurt you."

"But you won't." Against her better judgment, she reached out and grabbed his chin. She was forcing him to look at her; forcing him to listen. "I won't let you."

She could see his resistance beginning to break. It was as subtle as his shoulders dipping down; his arm hitting a cleaning bottle when he shifted his posture. He wanted her to help. He just felt like he shouldn't. "How?"

She offered him an encouraging smile. "I learned from my mistakes. I'll never forget my weapons again. And as much as I like you, I won't be afraid to use them on you if I have to."

His jaw ticked beneath her palm as guilt began to show itself. "Do you know if I even have a chance?"

"Everyone has a chance."

He said nothing. Then, quietly, he asked, "Do I deserve one?"

Her grip on him slackened. Oh, sweetheart. She spoke softly. "Life isn't about what we deserve. If it was, humanity would have gone extinct ages ago." She lied. He was the right person. "Nobody's innocent, Stefan. And no amount of self-loathing will bring back the lives you've taken." She felt him flinch. "The only way to honor those lives is by preventing yourself from repeating your mistakes. What you need in order to do that is control."

He fell silent. Angela gave him time to think, during which she examined every little detail on his face. Every little pore and crinkle. Every change of countenance. Every long eyelash that she hated herself for just now noticing, since she could have begun admiring them so much sooner. She never wanted to stop looking at him. He made her heart ache.

"Sometimes, you remind me of Lexi."

Of all the things he could have said, that was the one she was expecting least. "Wow. Um. Thank you."

"You remind me of the parts of Lexi I find annoying."

Of course. Angela rolled her eyes. "Those are the parts of Lexi that get shit done."

"Yeah," he said, sounding like he was recounting fond memories. "That's what she would say too. But this isn't why I brought you out here. We were supposed to be focusing on you."

"Eh, life sucks–no pun intended–but it's not healthy to wallow. This is far more important than some small-town drama."

"I want to help you too."

She smiled, brushing her thumb over his jaw before letting it fall away. "You already do."

Her hand had no time to reach her side. Almost immediately, his own hand stopped it, effectively stopping her as well. Angela's heart jumped to her throat. She watched him in silence, wondering what he would do next.

He was looking at her as if asking her to take her turn now and understand him; as if he couldn't get the words out or didn't know what to say. Angela said nothing, but she understood.

She had been involved with many men and women in her past life, but suffering their company was only a job that had to be done. Even as a child, when all her classmates were gushing about this boy or that girl, she found the sentiment so alien. In truth, she still did. It was easy to tell when someone was openly interested in her, but otherwise, unless she was looking for it, she had a terrible habit of projecting her own disinterest onto them. Stefan had opened the floodgates to an entirely different world and made her flounder to stay afloat. She never felt a connection to another person as strong as with him. He didn't know how similar they were, but that didn't mean he didn't feel the same.

"I'm not made of stone, Angela."

Was that the first time he called her by her proper name? It felt wrong. She had no idea what to say.

She swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat. "Stefan… I…"

There was a sudden, strong gust of wind just before a wave of light washed across his face.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice came from behind her.

Not even a heartbeat later, she felt something sticky being pressed against the back of her hand. It was a band-aid, freshly applied by the vampire before her. When had he let go of hand? When had he gotten a band-aid? Stefan glanced behind her with a short-lived smile.

"Angie got hurt," he said. "It wasn't a guarantee that the janitor's closet would have a first aid kit, but we got lucky. Good to know this school takes safety seriously."

Angela turned around to look into Tyler's hard brown eyes. She chose not to add to the lie. It would make her seem like she was trying to justify her actions, and justifying actions was something innocent people rarely did. Instead, she spoke to him like he was the one acting suspicious. Which to be fair, he was.

"What are you doing here, Lockwood? Got a newfound interest in housekeeping?" She exited the closet.

Tyler's eyes narrowed. He sucked his teeth. "Just making sure you were safe." He flashed a warning smile at Stefan. "Never know what people are capable of these days."

Stefan seemed almost hurt by the implication, but agreed nonetheless. "That's true. It's good to have people looking out for you."

Tyler looked almost disturbed by how sincere Stefan's response was, probably anticipating him to get defensive or antagonistic instead. With a quiet scoff he pushed his way inside, all but forcing Stefan out in the process. Tyler snatched the first aid kit from his grasp and looked it over before reaching inside.

"What are you doing?" Angela asked.

"Why waste the trip?" Tyler waved an injured hand in the air. "Should probably change these anyway."

"Are you alright?" Stefan said.

Tyler got the gauze out and started unwinding his own. "Fine. People get hurt now and then. You should know that by now, wide receiver." The statement felt like an accusation.

Angela was tense, for more than one reason. There was no way Tyler's wounds from the morning had healed. Stefan wasn't visibly struggling to control himself, but judging by the grim set of his mouth, he knew that Tyler was bleeding.

Tyler freed his hands, and as expected, there was a fair amount of blood pooled in different sections of his skin. Stefan swallowed hard and stepped back two paces. At the sound of his shoes hitting tile, Tyler glanced at him. He looked Stefan up and down.

"You good, man?"

Stefan cleared his throat. "Yeah. Just, uh, thinking it might be good to head back before class starts."

Tyler didn't seem fully convinced. Angela saw something click in his brain. He lingered on the area beneath Stefan's eyes a bit too long. "Sure it's not because of this?" The drying blood came into full view. "You're not squeamish, are you?"

It was a challenge for Stefan to look at it without giving anything away, but he managed to in the end. "No," he replied. "I'm used to people getting hurt. You should know that by now, cornerback."

After a short staring contest, Tyler snorted and began to dress his wounds. "So then what are you, a fucking nerd? Got ten minutes before the bell rings."

"Watch your tongue," Angela said icily, having had enough of this. "And knowing my sister, it'll be about ten seconds until she comes looking for me, so…" She addressed Stefan. "Please go back to the girls. Tell them I'll be right there. I just want to talk to Tyler for a bit."

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, ma'am." There was a mocking edge to his words, but he followed her instructions regardless, probably grateful for the out.

As soon as he was gone, Angela blocked the entrance to the closet, cornering Tyler in an effort to prevent him from moving. "What the hell was that?"

He calmly continued to work. "What the hell was what?"

She let out a frustrated grunt. "Don't play dumb with me. Is this how you always treat him?" And here she thought Elena was mean when Anna enrolled.

"Nothing wrong with a little friendly banter between teammates."

"That was not friendly. I know what you're like when you're friendly."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think."

She struggled to find words, sputtering in disbelief. "What?"

"You said you had a friend, didn't you? Some vampire dude you were friends with."

Angela shut her mouth with a click. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Stefan's brother is a vampire. And you're friends with Stefan."

"And?"

"You haven't made a friend since me. Find it kinda hard to believe that you can make two new ones in a matter of months."

She crossed her arms so she could use her bicep as a stress ball. "Ignoring the fact that you just said me having friends is unbelievable, need I remind you that Elena is the one who introduced Stefan to us in the first place? It would be rude to ignore my sister's friend. Not that you need any lessons in rudeness."

Tyler laughed beneath his breath. "Your sister's friend? You're the one whispering to him in class and taking him on a sunset tour outside of my house."

"How do you even know about that second one? Were you watching me?"

"Of course I was watching you. Not like I could trust your taste in men considering who you showed up with that night."

"You're mad because I found a way to use Damon to my advantage?"

"Yes. No. I don't–" He gave a sharp sigh. "Never mind."

"No. If something's wrong, I want to know so we can fix it."

He roughly tied off the gauze and threw it back into the kit. "There's nothing to fix. I don't like you being friends with a vampire."

"I thought we went over this already. Anna's a vampire, and you think she's reasonable, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not upset at us for being friends with her, are you?"

He certainly looked upset. "No."

"So why are you mad at me for being friends with…" Angela trailed off as realization dawned on her. The very first time she told him that she was friends with a vampire, Tyler's immediate response was that she hadn't made a friend since him. And surely it was important to him if he repeated it now. "Tyler Lockwood," she said slowly, hoping she was right. "Are you jealous?"

Tyler's face went white.

Angela slapped her hands over her mouth. Her chest swelled in a strange mixture of shock and wicked mirth. "Oh my God! You totally are! You think I'm replacing you!"

"N–No, I… What?"

She let her hands fall away with a manic laugh. A cackle, really. "Are you serious? Sweetheart, I could never replace you."

"That's not–" He cut himself off and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"I love you like family. You have nothing to worry about. As for my safety, I appreciate you looking out for me, but 'the vampire dude' won't hurt me, I promise."

"I still think it's suspicious," he said. "Stefan's your friend when his brother is one of them."

"Ty, do you really think I'd let you know I was friends with a vampire if it was that easy for you to put two and two together?" She wiped a few drops of blood away from his forearm to distract her from the fact that she was lying through her teeth. It felt terrible, but she had made a mistake in the heat of the moment by offering the truth, and now she had to bury it deep beneath a bed of lies. Stefan hadn't given her consent to tell them his secret yet. "Please just try to get along with him," she continued. "Stefan, I mean. He's a pretty decent guy, if you couldn't already tell."

Tyler scowled. "He annoys me."

"Why?"

"He's too… nice. I keep bullying him but he doesn't fight back."

Angela gave him a very stern look. "I thought we had the bullying talk ages ago."

"I don't trust him."

"Have you ever thought that he doesn't fight back because he wants to be your friend?"

The bell rang, and Tyler finally stormed out into the hallway. "Like I could be friends with a spineless pussy."

Resignation settled deep within her chest. "Whatever. It's your life. If you want to spend the rest of it being intimidated by people's kindness, go ahead." Tough love always did work best on him when he was being stubborn. She strode past him, shutting the closet door in the process. "Your dad is meeting Pearl at 6 o'clock. That's our window. Let me know when you have the compass. I'll text her if I need more time. I'm sure she'll be happy to distract him until I'm done."

Though to be honest, she didn't want to imagine what that "distracting" would entail.

.

Tyler gave her and Elena the other half of the compass at a quarter past six, and the three of them combined the pieces together at his house. When he saw that this truly was a mechanism designed to point toward vampires, he seemed a little too happy to help. Angela got the terrible feeling that he wanted to use the compass against Stefan, to confirm his suspicions. There was no way she was letting that happen. She had to talk to Stefan before Tyler did something drastic. She did talk to Damon briefly, on the phone, to make sure he was being a good little boy and staying home so they wouldn't get a false signal. He was infuriatingly smug about the fact that she'd finally given him her number.

There was a sense of urgency as the twins climbed into the car; Angela behind the wheel and Elena in the passenger's seat as the designated compass reader. They had no clue when Pearl and Richard would finish talking, though Elena did say that Anna caught her mother up with the plan. Hopefully, that would be enough.

"So!" Angela slapped her hands on the steering wheel. "Where should we begin our search, o Wondrous Wielder of Compasses? Compasses? Compassi? Oh, God, which is it?"

Elena ignored her plight. "Might as well start by Wickery Bridge. That's where the first attack happened. I swear that bridge is cursed. First some arsonist burns it to ash four summers ago, and now two dead or dying women are found nearby…"

Angela nodded a bit too frantically. "I know, right? Crazy." She pulled the car out of the Lockwood estate and started driving towards the bridge. "Make sure to keep an eye on that thing." She motioned towards the compass. "Though if it starts spinning near Anna's house, I wouldn't worry. How did shopping go, by the way?"

Elena lit up. "Great! We even found fake teeth for her to wear. I know they're redundant, but they gave her a lisp that made her so embarrassed she blushed, so obviously I had to buy them."

"Obviously."

"I don't think I've ever seen her blush before. Have you?"

Angela thought back to the day of the car wash, when she called Anna attractive. "Yes. I have."

"It suits her, doesn't it? I mean, her skin is so light and her hair is so dark, the pink is a nice pop of color. At first I thought her hair was black like her mom's, but under the sun it looks brown, so I guess it depends on the lighting. We're thinking of going to the hair salon soon. I told her I wanted to cut my hair. Just a little, to make the shape more interesting. Maybe she'd like to get brown highlights done, to bring out her natural color. I'm sure they won't damage her hair, with her being a vampire and all. But they have to be subtle. As subtle as they were in the sun. And we should get our nails done. Make it a whole thing. But it would probably be more fun if we did each other's nails, wouldn't it? Hm. What about a slumber party? Oh! Let's invite Bonnie too. We haven't had a slumber party in ages. I miss staying up until three o'clock watching movies and eating candy. Do you know that Anna loves candy apples? This little boy was selling them by Spirit Halloween. She prefers the caramel kind, like me."

Angela gave Elena an odd look, wondering why she was still rambling. "Interesting."

Elena deflated. "Sorry. Didn't mean to talk your ear off. How did things go with Stefan?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, the shopping."

Angela waved dismissively. "We haven't done that yet."

"So then what did you do for four whole hours?"

"Homework. Despite the chaos that we're now a part of, that is still a thing, you know."

"Oh. Right. Guess I did forget between all the death and destruction. Speaking of… did you see Aunt Jenna this morning? She was a wreck. I don't think she slept."

Angela glanced at her. "Did you?"

Elena shook her head, causing a strand of hair to fall from where it was tucked behind her ear. "Not well."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't think so. Part of me feels like if I don't dwell on it I'll convince myself it was all a dream. Move on with my life. I don't know. I don't want to heal. I want to go back in time and have yesterday never happen. Have this whole year never happen. Why don't you want to talk? Are you– I mean, how do you feel?"

"Weirdly enough, I feel fine," Angela said. "Good, even. It's like… I don't know. I don't remember dying in my past life. I don't remember coming inches away from death like I did yesterday. I don't remember having to fight in order to survive, or the satisfaction that came with knowing that I did. It was terrifying, of course, but it also made me feel strong. Especially when it comes to facing Damon. Now I just find him vexing. Did I tell you he compared me to a kitten? Never wanted to punch a person more. Can he even be classified as a person? You don't want to know some of the things he's done, trust me. You especially don't want to know some of the things he would have done if I never existed. I was serious when I said I don't want Caroline going anywhere near him."

"S– Stop the car," Elena stammered.

"What? Was it something I said?"

"No, the compass, Angie. Stop the car."

A bolt of adrenaline shot through her body. She hadn't expected them to find the vampire already. Angela glanced around. They were nowhere near the boarding house or Anna's place, so it was unlikely to be a fluke. They were right in the middle of town. And the sun was setting. Fast.

She pulled up in an empty spot outside the Mystic Grill. The mechanical whirring and clicking of the compass became louder as its spinning accelerated in speed. Elena's chest was unmoving, holding her breath in anticipation. Finally, the compass settled with a click. It pointed directly at the Mystic Grill.

Angela fell back into her seat with a huff. "Well," she said dourly, "that was anticlimactic. It's probably Pearl and Ricky. Carol's technically the owner, so he dragged her here to show off, yes, I can see it now. 'Come, attractive new woman. Behold the splendor of my wife's property. Did I say wife? I meant assistant. Yes, assistant. Because I'm definitely single.' Jackass."

Elena brought out her phone and pressed a couple buttons. "Why don't we find out?" She showed it to Angela. Pearl's number was on the screen. Elena pressed the call button and brought it up to her ear, though not before bracing herself. Clearly, the woman still frightened her.

From within the car, Angela peered into the windows of the Grill to try and spot anyone she recognized. All she could see were students hanging out and random people from around town. Then, a familiar, brunet news reporter walked past a window, coming from the direction of the bar. His mouth was moving, talking to someone. It took her a moment to recognize the woman trailing behind him as Jenna, not expecting her to be there.

She did say she was getting coffee with him today, didn't she? She completely forgot. Or maybe she thought Jenna was too drained to go outside.

"Hi, Peal?" Elena's tentative voice piped up. She was picking a thread loose from her jeans. "Sorry to bother you." There was a pause. "Oh, okay, good. I was just wondering where exactly you were meeting Mayor Lockwood." There was another, longer pause. "Your house," she breathed. "Y– Yeah, no, you're right, we did say you should all stay home today. We just thought–"

Angela made an urgent motion for her to hang up.

If it wasn't Pearl, and it wasn't Damon, and it definitely wasn't Anna, Harper, or Stefan, that only left them with one option. And Jenna was in there with him. Could it be Logan Fell? He matched the description. But no, he had to have entered the Grill while the sun was out. Who would have even turned him? Not Anna, that's for sure.

"I should go," Elena said into the phone. "Thank you. And thank you for keeping Mayor Lockwood busy while we're doing this. It means a lot." Saying goodbye, Elena hung up.

That was another question. Was it pure coincidence that Pearl had chosen today to speak to Richard, or did she somehow know what Angela was planning before anyone told her? Scrying magic was a thing in this world, and she had that warlock–or witch; whatever–on her side. If she was using him as a spy, they could have another problem on their hands.

"Jenna's inside," Angela said.

The sudden, frantic creaking of leather coming from Elena's seat let her know that she inspired panic in her sister.

"What!" Elena whisper-yelled.

Angela unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbing the purse filled with hunting gear from the back seat. "Get your stuff and keep the compass close. Unless you want me to be the map."

"What– No," Elena stuttered, before settling down and entering work mode. She looked almost angry in her concentration. "No," she repeated calmly. She grabbed her own purse. "Let's do this."

As they got closer, Angela examined the interior once more. Jenna was seated far away from the door, on the left side of the building. Clearly, she hadn't taken her advice. Much of her face was hidden by the back of Logan's head, but when he moved a little, Angela caught a glimpse of Jenna's smile. It both pleased and annoyed her. Jenna deserved to be happy, but did her happiness have to come from him?

Angela held a hand out, palm up, towards Elena, never once taking her eyes off of Logan. "Give me that," she demanded.

The cool, metallic weight of the compass entered her grasp, and she pointed it directly at him. The needle whirred as it spun to readjust itself, before clicking into place once more. It pointed somewhere to the far right of Logan and didn't move again, signifying that whoever it was, they were staying still.

Disappointed lay heavy in her chest as she handed the compass back to Elena. "Never mind."

Elena glanced between her pouting face and the window. "What?"

"It's not Logan Fell."

"And that's not a good thing?"

"It means I don't have an excuse to kill him."

Elena made an odd noise, somewhere between a choke and whine. Her hand covered her mouth as she composed herself. "You know, for once I might have actually approved of murder."

The compass spun again when Elena moved, correcting its position. They shared a look. It was time to go inside and investigate properly.

No one paid them much mind as they stepped through the doors. Certainly not Jenna or Logan, who were happily chatting away. Angela scanned the restaurant, straying towards the bar when Elena said the compass was pointing in its direction.

Angela pointed out a table nearby. It only seated two people and rested against the wall; it was as private as they could get. "We should sit there," she suggested. "See if it points to someone specific."

"And if it doesn't?" Elena said, following her to the table.

Angela sat down, the various weapons clacking inside her purse when she laid it on her lap. "Then we'll still know where to look."

Elena nervously glanced back in Jenna's direction. "What if she sees us?"

Angela shrugged. "We tell her we felt like getting out of the house. We're only suspicious if we act like it."

"Yeah. That's fair." Elena sighed. "Guess I'm a little nervous."

Angela covered Elena's hand with her own. "We're going to be okay," she said reassuringly. "Just… maybe leave the bullshitting to me."

Elena nodded firmly, a hint of relief showing through. "I can do that." She looked beneath the table as the compass clicked into place on her lap.

"Well?" Angela shuffled forward, anxious to keep moving. "Who is it?"

Elena looked up, past Angela's head. She scanned the area behind her. "I don't know."

Angela thought back to when it had spun before. It definitely pointed at the Mystic Grill. Not around it. If he wasn't in the main area and vaguely behind her seat…

"He's either in the restrooms or the kitchen. But how?" Angela looked out the window next to her. The sun had only just set. Had he been hiding here since dawn? At least one person would have noticed some random guy sleeping in the stalls.

"The kitchen," Elena said. "It's definitely not pointing at the restrooms."

Angela frowned. "Great. We're not part of the staff. How are we supposed to get in?"

"Well if it isn't my favorite Gilbert." Vicki Donovan's sarcastic remark alerted them to her presence. She stood beside the table with a pencil and notepad in hand, ready to take their order. Her light brown hair framed her face in messy waves, and her black eyeliner was smudged around the edges. It looked like she had rolled out of bed a few minutes before her shift. She aimed a scathing smile at Elena. "May I take your order?"

While Elena scrambled to answer, a plan formed in Angela's mind. It was no secret that Vicki hated Elena for breaking her little brother's heart. She hadn't acted against her in any major way, but with how impulsive she tended to be, Angela was willing to bet that she would jump at the chance to get payback. That was something she could exploit.

Angela scoffed. "Yeah." She slouched in her seat "She's everyone's favorite Gilbert."

Elena's head turned towards her in confusion, but she must have realized that Angela was working on something when all she received in response was a wink.

"Well?" Vicki asked Elena forcefully. "Do you want something or not?"

Elena's head snapped back in Vicki's direction. Her mouth hung open before she mustered a single word. "Yes." She looked at Angela. "Um. What did you want again?"

Angela laughed dryly. "Oh, now you want my opinion?"

Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course I want your opinion."

"Oh, really? That's not what you said about Damon."

"What?" Vicki said. "Who's Damon?"

Bingo.

Angela casually examined her nails. She needed to trim them down. "Just this hot, older guy Elena's been sneaking around with."

Elena's eyes went wide. "Angela?" she all but squeaked.

Vicki looked at Elena, shocked. "Wait. Seriously?" When no one answered, her nostrils flared in anger. "Half a year is all it took? Mattie's still not over you and you don't think twice before slutting it up with some random guy? Real classy. I know you all look down on me because my daddy never made as much money as yours, but I would never do something like that."

Elena was flustered. "N– No, you don't–"

"Don't what? Don't understand? Don't have the right to tell you how torn up he gets when he sees you, acting like everything's okay? Because I think I have every right."

Elena shot Angela a death glare. Her cheeks were beet red. "I'm going to kill you," she gritted out between her teeth.

Angela gave her a nasty smile, playing up the charade. "See? Now you know how it feels to hate your sister."

Vicki stepped closer to Angela in an almost subconscious move, sensing that they were on the same side. For now. "I work double shifts at this shithole just so he can have a normal, teenage life for as long as possible. If you think I'm going to let you ruin his happiness because you can't keep your legs closed, you're dead wrong."

Although it pleased her to know that her plan was working, Angela was unwilling to sit idly by and let Elena get chewed out by someone wearing mismatched socks. She stood up, letting the chair slide back with a screech. "I'm getting a different table. Vicki, if you want to serve me instead of her, come on."

Vicki growled a threat at Elena before following Angela, who chose to sit a convincing distance away. "I can't believe her," Vicki muttered angrily, clutching her pencil so hard it almost broke. "How can you live under the same roof as that bitch?"

Angela rested her chin on her interlocked hands, looking up at Vicki from beneath her lashes. "It's not by choice."

Vicki breathed in deep through her nose before breathing out through her mouth. She did this several more times but became no calmer, and eventually gave up. "What do you want?" she snapped, ready to jot down her order.

"Actually…" Angela leaned in closer. She felt a devious smirk tug at her lips. "I'd prefer something that's not on the menu."

Vicki looked her up and down. "Look. You're cute, but I don't swing the way you do."

Angela blinked. "What?"

"I mean… that's why you've never had a boyfriend, right? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I know how judgy this town can be."

"No! That's not–" Angela lowered her voice. "That's not what I was going to ask."

"Oh."

"Wait. Does everyone think I'm gay?"

"Not everyone, but one of my girl friends has been crushing on you since the third grade and thinks she stands a chance." Vicki's face became even colder. "Does she?"

Angela was caught completely off-guard, unsure of what to say. Vicki's gaze sharpened further, making her feel like it was more of a rhetorical question than anything.

"Maybe?" Angela said in an uncharacteristically high octave.

Vicki seemed to relax. "Hm. I'll be sure to tell her."

Angela tried not to show her frustration. The last thing she needed was to hurt some random girl's feelings. "But!" Angela hurried to get back on topic. "Since you're into guys, how do you feel about leather jacket-wearing bad boys with stunning good looks and piercing blue eyes?"

Vicki lowered her voice so it wouldn't carry above the chatter of the patrons. "Wait. That's Damon? The new guy that's been coming here recently?"

"Depends. Does he order bourbon a lot?"

"Only like every single time." Vicki glanced back at Elena. "How did Goody Two Shoes Gilbert manage to snag him?"

Angela shrugged. "Maybe he was looking for a challenge. Do you think you can offer one?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm giving you the opportunity to fuck over Elena the way she fucked over your brother. I'll tell you exactly how to worm your way into Damon's little heart and steal him from her forever. But I want one thing in exchange."

With a newfound, wicked gleam in her hazel eyes, Vicki nodded. "Go on."

Angela took note of Vicki's stature. They were about the same height, and although Angela had more of a pear shape than Vicki's willowy frame, she could probably squeeze into her uniform. Yes. This could work.

Angela gave Vicki her best, most innocent smile. "Don't judge."

Vicki judged. Hard.

"You know," Vicki drawled, leaning against the door that led out of the women's restroom. "I've met a lot of weird people. But this shit?" She raised the cigarette that lay nestled between her fingers and took a long drag. Her lips parted as she audibly exhaled cheap-smelling smoke. "This brings you right up to top five."

Angela sighed sharply as she continued tugging Vicki's skinny jeans up her legs. As expected, they had gotten caught on the widest part of her hips. She'd been trying to be careful, not wanting to rip anything–how humiliating would that be?–but her irritation served her well. After a firm, rough tug born out of impatience, the jeans were free, and Angela zipped them up. She shoved away a strand of hair that had fallen into her face and glared at Vicki.

"How flattering," she said coldly.

Vicki rolled her eyes. Angela only hesitated for a second before reaching up and sliding her black, long-sleeved shirt above her head. The sudden exposure to air made goosebumps erupt on her skin.

"You have to admit," Vicki said. "It's one thing to want to snoop around the restricted area of a building. It's another to say that the reason you want to snoop around is because you want to draw a dick on the wall."

An embarrassed flush crawled up Angela's neck, clearly visible thanks to the multiple mirrors that were bolted above the standalone sinks. It wasn't her proudest lie, but it was one she was forced to make up on the spot. Within the few seconds between conceiving her plan and putting it into motion, she hadn't had time to think about the little details. Like Vicki asking, "Why?"

Angela snatched Vicki's navy blue T-shirt off a sink and began putting it on. Thankfully, Vicki had a set of regular clothes stored in the pickup truck she shared with Matt. It would have been infinitely more awkward if Angela was forced to have this conversation with a naked woman.

"Don't crush a young girl's dreams," Angela said. The shirt was much easier to put on. After checking herself in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, she did a little spin for Vicki. "What do you think?"

Vicki looked her up and down, taking another drag of the cigarette. "It's a little tight. But like, in a hot way. I'd fuck you."

"You sure you're straight?"

Vicki grinned, her teeth barely peeking through. "Platonically speaking."

Angela looked at herself again, focusing on the small, orange letters on the T-shirt that spelled out MYSTIC GRILL. "Will they really not notice I don't work here?"

"Half the time they don't notice I do work here, and I've been working here since I was a freshman. If they ask, just say you're new. You'll be fine."

"Is the staff really that bad? This is a pretty nice-looking place."

"Appearances don't mean shit. Make sure you put your daddy's money to good use. Don't end up working too hard for too little like I probably will for the rest of my life." Her voice faltered towards the end, but her face remained impassive.

Angela considered her words. She knew of Vicki, having heard Matt talk about her whenever he used to come over to spend time with Elena. She was the opposite of a hard worker. All she wanted was to get high and party. But maybe that was because she had given up on working hard when it got her nowhere. Oddly enough, Angela might be doing her a favor by deceiving her. Whatever Damon did when it came time to follow through could give Vicki some much-needed purpose. Assuming she didn't just drop dead like last time.

"Life has a way of surprising you," Angela said. "Don't resign yourself to your fate quite yet."

Vicki blew some smoke out the side of her mouth. "I'm not gonna lie," she said. "I've always thought you were a snooty bitch."

"Thank you."

"I was wrong. You're weird. But you're not a bitch."

"Am I still snooty?"

Vicki scoffed. "Oh yeah."

"Good." Angela walked towards her, going for the exit. "Thanks for this. I'll meet you here in ten."

Vicki pushed herself off the door. She passed her by, opening a stall and throwing what little remained of her cigarette down the toilet. "Hey." She stopped Angela just before she left. An amused smirk was present on her lips. "Draw a dick for me too."

Angela made a beeline for Elena's table. When she announced her presence, Elena looked up from her lap, clearly not expecting to see her in Vicki's clothes. Her expression quickly soured.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry I threw you under the bus," Angela said, grabbing her cellphone and sliding it into her back pocket. "But now we have access to the kitchen. Give me the compass. I'll go in and look for the vampire. You stay here as backup and a lookout. Text me if shit gets weird."

Elena blinked rapidly as she irritably processed what she said. "Fine. Here." She slid the compass across the table, letting Angela take it. "Do you know how humiliating that was? She's probably going to tell Matt, and then what? How do I tell him it was a lie without blowing your cover?"

Angela hid a vervain syringe on the inside of her shoe. "You're a clever girl. You'll figure something out."

The last thing Angela saw before turning around and waltzing into the kitchen was Elena's heated glare.

Immediately, she was assaulted by the sound of water boiling, utensils clanging, and cooks shouting so they could be heard above the sound of everything else. The scent of grilled meat and caramelized onion reached her senses. The air was too warm and it was taking a toll on the staff, indicated by the sweat dripping down their skin.

Eyes were everywhere. It would take skill to stay inconspicuous. Skill she wasn't sure she had.

Angela ducked into the first dark corner she could find. The back of her thighs pressed against a tall garbage can filled with half-eaten food from the patrons. She checked the compass. It still wasn't pointing at anyone. But that couldn't be. She poked her head out of her cover and scanned the room again. She looked back at the compass. No, she was right. But the second scan made her notice that it was pointing towards what looked like a walk-in pantry. There was probably another staff member in there. And judging by the fact that the compass had been pointing at the same spot ever since she arrived, they weren't coming out any time soon.

It was up to her. She had to get inside without being noticed. Or maybe she should be noticed. Hide in plain sight. She cycled through a few ideas until one seemed plausible enough that it might just work.

She mentally psyched herself up before tucking the compass into the waistband of her newly-acquired jeans. She left her little corner and began strutting towards her destination, head held tall.

She got about halfway there before an older, heavyset line cook stopped her.

"Girl!" he called out, still at his station. "What are you doin' here? Orders up front." He had a distinctly Southern drawl.

Here we go. She turned around and gave him a smile. "Mrs. Lockwood said she forgot something during her last inspection. Told me to go get it for her."

"I thought her last inspection was over a month ago."

"Really? But she told me it was two days ago—" Angela cut herself off, widening her eyes like she had done some great wrong. "Oh. She said it was a secret inspection. I wasn't supposed to let anyone know, was I? But she didn't tell me that. How was I…" She nervously hugged her midsection, making sure to keep the compass hidden. "God, she's going to be so mad if she finds out I let it slip. Promise me you won't tell her. You have to promise. I really need this job. My little brother has medical fees, and I want to go to college. She probably doesn't even want anyone to know she's here right now. I'm such an idiot. Promise me you won't tell anyone. Please, please, please."

As she rambled on in a very obvious display of panic, he left his station to speak to her more privately. "Hey, relax," he hushed. "I won't say anythin'." He glanced back at the other staff members, a few of which were watching on in curiosity. "You get the thing. I'll cover for you with these guys."

Angela honestly hadn't expected that to work so easily. "Are you serious." Her voice came out completely deadpan.

"Eh, it can be tough when the higher-ups come askin' you to do stuff," he replied. "Especially for someone your age." In a weird way, his act of kindness touched her.

"Wow. Uh. Thank you."

He gave a quick, secret nod towards the pantry. "Go."

Unwilling to waste this opportunity, Angela hurried the rest of the way there and slipped inside. She immediately shut the door, leaning against it and waiting to hear the man walk back to his station. While his footsteps receded, she took stock of her surroundings.

It was a grey, rectangular room with a strong white light bolted to the ceiling. Rows of high, industrial shelves lined the walls, filled with all sorts of dry, non-refrigerated goods.

One thing became painfully clear. There was no one there but her.

She brought the compass up once again. The needle clicked into place. It pointed directly at a shelving unit. Her apprehension deepened. As she got closer she could smell spices and condiments coming from the boxes on the shelves. She examined the unit closer, peering into the gaps to see if it concealed a secret door or something of the sort. When she squatted down low to look at the bottom shelf, she noticed that the texture on the wall switched from plain grey paint to silver metal. There was something there.

She grabbed the side of the unit, trying to drag it towards her so she could gain access. It didn't budge. She cursed beneath her breath. She had to be quick. That man could come check on her if she took too long.

She started clearing the shelves, quietly placing boxes of thyme, pepper, garlic, and whatever else on the floor beside her. In an impressively short amount of time, her task was done. She tried to move the shelving unit again. It was still a bit of a struggle, but far less so than before. It slid away from the wall with a faint whine, unlikely to be heard over the sounds of the kitchen. She allowed herself an accomplished smile when the space became completely uncovered.

There was no secret door or hollowed-out wall, but as she dragged her eyes further down, she saw what she now recognized as a metal grate covering a ventilation system. She glanced at the compass. It pointed forward.

There was no way. It made no sense. Why the hell would a vampire hide inside a vent in the Mystic Grill? Her first instinct was to put everything back in its place and come back later, but for all she knew, she wouldn't get this opportunity again. Or whoever was in there would kill someone before they could catch them, and Elena would be displeased. No. She had to see their face at least. If she got injured in the process, it didn't matter. It didn't even matter if she got killed. She would just come back and tell everyone anyway.

Guess I'm doing this.

She took out the syringe so it wouldn't poke her ankle when she got down on her knees. The screws that held the grate up were visibly loose. Someone from the outside only had to twist in order for them to fall out. And someone from the inside only has to push. Her nose crinkled in distaste.

As gently and quietly as she could, she unscrewed the grate with one hand while holding it up with the other. If someone truly was inside, they hadn't noticed her yet, and she wasn't planning on letting them.

Finally, all four screws rested on the ground, beside the syringe and the compass, which she also removed when it dug into her stomach. Angela's hand began to tremble. She shut her eyes and brought her free hand up to support it. Come on. Where's that strength you felt before? The thought didn't help, but she had to push on anyway.

Clutching onto either side of the grate, she pulled it away, holding her breath all the while. It clanged when she set it down. She cringed, waiting for something terrible to happen. Nothing did.

Fuck. Okay.

She bent forward to get a better view of the vent, resting her forearms against the chilly, tiled floor. The inside was dark, and the light that rested all the way up in the ceiling didn't offer much assistance. She squinted, looking closer. Her fingers hovered over the syringe, ready to grab it to defend herself.

She didn't have to wait long.

A pale face emerged from the darkness, scurrying forward with black veins beneath its bloody eyes and a mouth that opened as it neared, fangs ready to devour her like a viper. Angela didn't think. She lifted the syringe, clutched the man's short, dark hair, and pulled his head to the side, exposing his throat. She lifted the syringe and brought it down roughly, piercing the spot where his neck met his shoulder. She squeezed down as hard as she could, emptying every last drop of vervain into his system until finally, finally, the nails that had been clawing at her face went limp.

The nails.

She hadn't realized how much she'd been blocking out in her effort to neutralize him until the sounds from the kitchen came back into focus. She tentatively reached up, brushing against the tender scratch marks on her cheekbones. He broke her skin.

Using the syringe to draw some of his blood, she stabbed it into her arm. Relief came instantly as her wounds stitched themselves up. This time, she felt no external emotions, and figured she had to actually taste the blood for it to do anything. She took a moment to inspect the vampire, though there was no need. She recognized him instantly.

It was Ben. The guy Anna had been using before they formed an alliance, when she was planning to rescue her mother all on her own. Rather, not all on her own, as was evidenced by the man in front of her. It was true, Angela had no idea what happened to him. After that day, he just kind of disappeared, and part of her forgot he was ever there to begin with. Did Anna know he was doing this? Probably not. What sort of plan could she be executing that was worth risking exposure? Ben's actions had been so moronic they made her blood boil.

"Girl."

Angela jolted as the line cook's voice came from outside the pantry.

"Come on. It's time to come out."

Shit.

Angela frantically looked around. She had a passed-out vampire that was spread between her lap and the open vent in front of her, and a shelving unit that she completely messed up. There was no way to fix everything in time. She had to prioritize.

"For the record…" She glared at Ben. "You are officially on my bad side."

She stuffed him back into the vent.

"Girl!"

"One second!" she called out, throwing the empty syringe in there alongside him. She grabbed the compass and propped the grate up in front of the opening, deciding to steal a tuft of Ben's hair so Bonnie could cast a locator spell later. She covered the vent with the shelving unit, wincing when the speed at which she pushed it made it screech.

The door handle began to turn.

She grabbed the biggest boxes off the floor and placed them on the two bottom-most shelves, concealing the vent completely. She didn't have time to do anything else before the cook entered the pantry. He froze. He looked around. When he saw what a huge mess she'd made, his jaw dropped.

Angela resisted the urge to apologize until she was out of breath. Instead, she gave him a grateful smile. She approached him and displayed the compass. "Found it! Thanks for your help. Um. Have a good day." She patted him twice on the shoulder before slinking out of the pantry, leaving him completely horrified. He never uttered a word.

When the cooks in the main part of the kitchen eyed her strangely as well, she thought nothing of it. But then she felt something wet drip onto her collarbone. Oh. Right. She forgot to wipe the blood off her cheeks. An idea popped into her head. One that was so absurdly morbid it made her question her sanity. Blood looked an awful lot like ketchup. No one would think twice if they saw it in a restaurant.

Angela grabbed a handful of napkins off the counter and wiped the rest of the blood off her face, tossing them into the trash can that she once hid beside. If one looked closely, they might notice a splotch of ketchup on the wall above it. And if they looked closer, assuming they had a dirty enough mind, they might notice that it resembled a tiny dick.

The first thing she noticed when she left the kitchen was Elena. Rather, the fact that Elena was talking to Jenna. And Logan. Prick. They had moved to a table that seated four. Elena had cleverly maneuvered them so their backs were to Angela, and only the twins could see each other. When Elena noticed her, Angela gave her a thumbs up. Elena's shoulders slumped in relief.

Vicki was still in the restroom, texting someone on her phone. Angela told her that the deed was done, but that she would have to search for it carefully since it was quite small. Vicki burst out laughing. According to her, that was what she usually did.

By the time they each had their clothes on, Angela got a text. It let her know that Jenna and Logan had only found Elena about two minutes ago, so Angela was to pretend that she had gone to the bathroom right before they did. Truthfully, all she wanted to do was leave and have a group meeting with those in the know. And, of course, to never return to the Mystic Grill until every cook that saw her died of old age. She texted Elena back, asking for her support when she told Jenna they had to head home and finish their homework. Not waiting for a response, she left the restroom, though not before exchanging phone numbers with Vicki so Angela could give her a step-by-step guide on how to seduce Damon Salvatore. Like that was ever happening.

Angela gave Jenna a warm hug and Logan a cold smile, and Elena went along with what she said by insisting they go study. Jenna gushed–in a tone that was perhaps slightly unhinged–about how diligent they both were and how she was the complete opposite at their age. Logan seemed equally impressed. Angela wanted to stab his face. Elena had to physically drag her outside before she did something she would regret. She took further initiative by hopping into the driver's seat of their car, correctly assuming that some shit had gone down and wanting Angela to take it easy. Then it was the two of them once more, undisturbed by idiot vampires and conniving cheaters. Just the way Angela liked it.

"So," Elena said. "What happened?"

Angela recounted everything while Elena was driving, sparing no detail at all. Elena also seemed confused about where Ben chose to hide, but expressed delight when Angela told her they had some of his DNA for Bonnie to work her magic on. She especially liked the part where Angela embarrassed herself in front of the entire kitchen staff, tearing up when she realized how batshit crazy they must have thought Angela was, laying waste to the pantry with "ketchup" dripping down her face.

Angela was just finishing up when Elena slowed to a stop outside Sheila's house– the one Bonnie was currently staying in and had chosen over the one with her father.

Then she just sat there.

Angela broke the silence. "What is it?"

Elena bit her lip, staring straight ahead. "How do we do this? Bonnie and her grams are the only humans– or, witches, or– they're our only living allies that know what we know about the Salvatores. About every Salvatore. Should we have two separate meetings? One with them and the vampires, then one with all the humans; Jer, Caroline, and Tyler? And Jenna. What do we tell Jenna? Where do we even start? I thought we came clean yesterday, but the more I think about it, the more I realize she doesn't know a thing. She doesn't know how many vampires exist in this town. About the Bennetts. She doesn't even know about you."

"I thought you were working on that first one."

"I am," Elena said. "But it needs to be timed right. You should've seen her while you were gone. She was putting up an act, trying to convince herself that everything was normal, like it was all a dream. Like… like me. How am I supposed to blow her mind over and over again in such a short amount of time?"

Angela looked at Elena, the words striking her as terribly familiar. "What would you want if you were her? If it was you and me instead of you and her. Would you want me to come clean about everything at once, or would you want me to wait?"

Elena fell silent. She nearly glared a hole into the windshield with how hard she was thinking. "I'd want you to come clean," she finally said. "I miss the simpler times when I was ignorant about everything, but… after Mom and Dad died…" She sighed. "Life's never going to be simple again. You're the only person who knows what I'm going through. That guilt. Knowing we tried to save them. I need you to be on my side." She looked at Angela with a strange sort of gravity. "And I need to tell you something. I know what you did. The day I asked you to show me their case file. I know you distracted me so I would forget."

"What?" Angela breathed.

"I know what you're going to say too," she cut her off. "That I don't understand what I'm asking for. I can't blame you for saying that. Not anymore. I saw their pictures. I know you were right."

"Oh, Lena… How did you even get ahold of them?"

Elena smiled sadly. "Anna helped me break into the police station. It was a… strangely great bonding experience. I had no clue Sheriff Forbes keeps the file in her own desk. Took us forever to figure that out. Half the station's on vervain, even if they don't know about it. Thank you for trying to protect me."

"When did this happen?"

"The week after we woke up Bonnie's grams. Think it was Tuesday."

Angela tried to remember Elena's demeanor on that day, to see if she was particularly suspicious or upset. "I couldn't get you out of bed one morning," she recalled. "I thought it was just one of those days."

"Yeah, well, it's not every day you see your father's head bashed in," Elena mumbled. As if not thinking the sentence through until right then, she became horrified. "Oh my God. I'm sorry, I–"

"Talking about it helps sometimes." Angela said. "I don't mind."

"Actually… I think I offended myself."

Angela chuckled, but it rang hollow. She looked back at the house. "I think you're right. We should have two meetings. One with the supernaturals, one without. And then we have a third meeting. With Jenna. Maybe Jeremy can join that one too, if the first one doesn't take a toll on him. They derive a lot of comfort from each other. I think he reminds her of Dad."

"Do you say that because he reminds you of Dad too?" Elena said.

"Only the good parts."

Elena looked at the house too. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. "Angie… how do I say this? I know you and Dad have had your differences. And I know he's had his moments of hostility with you. But I truly hope that one day you'll be able to think of him with as much love and warmth in your heart as you have when you think of Mom."

Angela didn't respond. What could she say that wouldn't warrant an hours-long discussion? I already love him, she wanted to tell her. I love him just like you do. And I would give anything for the chance to see him again. But he was a monster. There's nothing I can do to change that. Love and morality aren't always synonymous. You'll learn that too. It's okay to love a monster.

Elena wisely dropped the subject, sensing that she wouldn't get anything out of her. "Okay," she sighed. "You call the vampires, I'll get the witches?"

Angela didn't acknowledge Elena's disappointment. She couldn't. Not yet.

"Deal."

---

"I drew genitalia with my blood for you, do you like it?" So many fun moments in this one. Which was your favorite?

Side note: I know Bonnie's dad was a traveling pharmaceutical rep in canon, but it just never made sense to me how everyone was cool with him becoming the mayor when he had no political background, so like… sometimes I change things because of plot reasons, but I also sometimes change things because I think they didn't make sense. Or because I accidentally mess up, but that's a lot rarer I swear lmao