Summary: All Celia Saltzman wanted was her mother back in her life. Moving to Mystic Falls and making new friends had never been part of the plan. Neither was finding new family. After finding out the truth about what happened to her mother, Celia soon discovers that it wasn't the only secret that lies within her family.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize here. TVD belongs to L.J. Smith and the CW.

Setting: TVD AU

Notes:


Three


"So you're the woman who has been screwing my husband." Isobel smirked standing on the front porch of the Gilbert home.

Jenna Sommers stood there in shock. "Isobel..."

From behind her, a gasp fell from Celia's lips. "Mom?"

"Celia! Hello sweetheart."

As Jenna stepped aside, the teenager ran into her mother's arms hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again."

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I missed you too. I'll explain to you later." Isobel returned the hug.

Celia pulled away after a few moments. "Please don't be mean to Jenna. She's been really good to Dad and I."

"Headstrong as ever. That's my girl. Alright I'll try to be nice. No promises." She smiled at her daughter.

She grabbed her bag and smiled softly at Jenna. "I'm going to go with my mom. Look, I can understand if you want to avoid my dad right now, but maybe you'll let me explain later?"

Jenna nodded her head sighing a bit. "It really should be your father explaining, but I'm not sure I can even handle looking at him right now. Just come find me when you're ready."

Celia gave Jenna a hug then walked out of the house. "I will."


At the Salvatore boarding house, Elena was sitting in the parlor with the two Salvatore brothers. Ric walked in hanging up his phone and accepted a drink from Damon. He took a long sip and then sighed.

"Well that was Jenna. Isobel showed up at the house, but she wasn't invited in. Celia left with her. Jenna is beyond pissed at me right now." Ric informed them.

Stefan's brows raised at that. "Is she safe with Isobel?"

"Yeah of course. Isobel would never harm Celia. If I thought she wouldn't be safe now that Isobel is a vampire, I wouldn't have let her anywhere near her." He assured them.

"So what do we do about Isobel? How does she even know about the Gilbert device?" Damon asked.

"Well she knew Uncle John so maybe she found out through him. In one of the old Gilbert journals, it is mentioned that a device was created to deal with the vampire problem. You take this old pocket watch and add it into its slot in this wooden box. You set it and it emits a sound that only vampires can hear. Kind of like a dog whistle, I guess. It's strong enough to weaken a vampire to almost pass out." Elena explained to them.

He nodded his head at that. "That must be how they got the vampires into the church back in 1864. Katherine had already been poisoned by the vervain and knocked out so the sound wouldn't have affected her."

"Yeah so why would a vampire like Isobel want to get her hands on it? Besides destroying it, I mean." The older Salvatore brother pointed out.

"I don't know, but here is the interesting part. Apparently my Gilbert ancestor made a lot of inventions, but he was also involved with Bonnie's ancestor Emily Bennett in some way. I think Emily used her magic to make the inventions work. One of those inventions were the Gilbert rings." She continued.

Stefan looked at her surprised. "Rings? Like the kind you wear?"

"Yes. From what I can tell, they got passed down through the generations of Gilberts." Elena told them.

"And one ended up on my finger." Ric flexed his hand a bit looking at the ring.

"That's Uncle John's ring. I remember seeing it when I was younger. Dad had a matching ring. He said they were family heirlooms." She took a closer look at the ring.

"Well that explains how Ric and John are both alive." Damon remarked taking a sip of his drink.

"Wait, Dad was wearing his ring when the accident happened. So why isn't he..." Elena trailed off looking a bit upset.

The younger Salvatore brother gave her a sympathetic look. "The rings were probably spelled to save the wearer from a death by supernatural means. Vampires more than likely."

"So what do we do? We can't just hand over the device to Isobel." Damon huffed at the idea.

"Maybe we can get Bonnie to deactivate it." The Gilbert girl suggested to them.

"Alright that sounds like a good idea. Worth a try at least." Alaric agreed as Damon handed the device over to Elena.


Celia sat inside of a booth in the Mystic Grill with her mother. "I'm sorry. I just.. I only just found out what really happened to you and it's just surreal to have you back."

"I know. It's okay. I have so much to tell you. I think you should hear it from me." Isobel squeezed her daughter's hand.

She smiled softly at her. "Of course. You can tell me anything, Mom."

"Alright. When I was around your age, I found out I was pregnant. I ran away from home and stayed with the baby's father here in Mystic Falls. When I went into labor, I went to the clinic in town and Dr. Gilbert helped me deliver your sister. I let the Gilberts adopt her." She admitted to her.

The smile faded from her face as the words registered in her mind. "But that would mean... wait that's not possible. Elena and I are practically the same age."

"I can explain that. I didn't exactly have the proper education when it came to pregnancy and all that it entails. So I never knew that you could be very fertile in the months after giving birth. One slightly drunken yet consensual hookup with your father later and you were conceived."

Celia gave her a confused look. "Why did you keep me and not her?"

"Elena's father and I agreed that neither of us were capable of raising Elena. The Gilberts were the much better choice. Elena's father loved me more than I ever loved him. I told myself that I was done having kids, but then I got pregnant again. It was different though because by the time I had you, your father and I were crazy about each other." Isobel recalled.

She smiled softly at her. "Wow. Wait, but what I don't understand is... why? Why did you decide to turn? Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"

"Oh sweetheart. The last thing I wanted was to leave you guys. It's complicated. It's just easier for me to protect you guys if I'm a vampire. I wasn't going to risk hurting you guys when I was newly turned so I left so that I could learn to control my bloodlust." She admitted with a sigh.

Celia frowned at her. "Why won't you tell me what you're protecting me from?"

"Because it's too dangerous. I'll tell you when it's safe."

She sighed at that. "Mom..."

"Here's my cell phone number. You can call me any time, baby. I'm sorry. I really wish I could tell you what is going on, but it's too dangerous right now." Isobel wrote down a number then gave her daughter an apologetic look.

Celia hugged her mom then took the number as she stood up. "I love you so much, mom. I missed you terribly. You just vanished and it devastated me. I just need a little time. I'm sorry."

Isobel could only watch sadly as her daughter walked away.


Hearing her walk in a short time later, Stefan vampire sped over to Celia. "Hey. Are you alright?"

She gave him a slight smile. "Yes. No. I don't know. I just have a lot on my mind and I didn't want to be alone."

"Celia?" Ric's voice interrupted them.

The light haired brunette glanced over at her father. "Did you know about Mom and Elena?"

"I only just found out myself." He admitted.

Celia sighed walking past them only to find that Damon and Elena were also there. "I honestly don't know how to feel. She wouldn't say what she was protecting me from at all. Just kept saying that it was too dangerous."

"Did she say anything about my biological father?" Elena gave her a hopeful look.

She shook her head. "Nothing too specific. Just that she stayed with him in Mystic Falls not long before she gave birth and that he loved her way more than she loved him."

"Damn. It's a start, I guess." The darker haired brunette sighed.

Celia surprised them both by pulling her into a hug. "Welcome to the family."

"Uh thanks." Elena smiled softly and returned the hug.

She pulled away and sighed. "I kind of thrived on being the only child so it might take me a bit to get used to sharing Mom with you."

"Oh don't even worry about it. I want nothing to do with her." She assured her.

Celia froze staring at her. "Wait what? Why not?"

"Isobel called me a few minutes ago threatening to make it rain blood in Mystic Falls if I don't bring her the Gilbert Device." Elena admitted to her.

She shook her head at that. "Alright. It's up to you how you want to proceed with Mom, but you should know something. She told me about giving you up for adoption. You could see that it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. She only kept me because she didn't have the heart to give up another baby. If you ever change your mind, I have her number."

"Thank you. I'll think about it. I'm going to get going, but I'll see you guys later."

Stefan smiled softly. "I'll see you out, Elena."

"You sure you're okay?" Damon raised his brows once Elena was out of earshot.

Celia smiled slightly at him. "Yeah I'm fine. I just went from being an only child to a little sister. It's a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Ric softened toward his daughter.

She relaxed as she sat down on the couch. "It's okay. Weirdly enough, I get the feeling that Mom isn't sticking around for too long."

"What makes you think that?" The older Salvatore brother asked curiously as he took a sip of his drink.

Her shoulders shrugged in response. "I don't know. Just the way she gave me her number and said that I could call her any time."

"Your mother has always moved to the beat of her own drum. She would do whatever it takes to protect you though." Ric assured her.

Celia smiled softly at that. "Yeah I know."

"You've been through a lot today. I should probably get you home."

Stefan walked back in and smiled at her. "Oh Cece, I think you left one of your notebooks in the library."

She gave him a confused look. "Did I? Thanks. I'll go get that then. Meet you outside, Dad."

"Alright. See you outside." Ric nodded his head at her.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get a blood bag." Damon finished his drink and vampire sped away.


Celia entered the boarding house's library and looked around. She didn't remember leaving a notebook behind, but with everything going on lately it wouldn't be surprising if she did. Suddenly she was grabbed and pinned against a wall. Celia relaxed when she saw Damon's piercing blue eyes staring back at her. He gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear then leaned in capturing her lips in a kiss. She smiled returning the kiss letting herself get lost in it for a few moments.

She then broke the kiss giggling lightly at him. "Dad's going to be wondering what's taking me so long."

"Uh yeah. Look, you're safe alright? Stefan and I would never let anything happen to you." Damon assured her.

Celia smiled softly at him. "Yeah I know. I appreciate it."

"You better get going before he sends a search party after your cute little ass." He smirked giving her another kiss before stepping away from her.

She kissed him back then laughed. "Yeah yeah, I'm going. Oh hey here's my notebook."

"Huh." Damon chuckled softly and watched her leave.

Stefan smirked playfully as he walked in a few moments later. "You're welcome."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Stefan."

He chuckled softly at that. "Oh please. Give it up, Damon. I heard you two. You like her."

"Did you drink from Bambi and Thumper yet today? You're hardly making any sense." Damon rolled his eyes at his younger brother.

Stefan folded his arms across his chest. "You like Celia. Maybe a little weird since we're friends with her dad, but she might actually be good for you, Damon."

"We're friends who also have sex. Don't get your hopes up. I've got things to do." He remarked then vampire sped away from him.


"Damon Salvatore, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Isobel greeted the older vampire with a smile.

"Hello Isobel. Nice place you got here. I just came to talk." He replied as she let him in.

"Right. Of course you did. Well what could you possibly want to talk about with me?" Her smile fell as she walked further into her temporary home.

"I don't know if you're telling the truth about why you wanted to turn. For all I know, you could be absolutely full of crap about Celia being in danger."

"I would never lie about my child being in danger." Isobel turned around narrowing her eyes at him.

"Listen to me carefully, Isobel. If you hurt either of your daughters, I will make you regret ever becoming a vampire." His hand was around her throat squeezing it tightly.

"I...I would never hurt them, Damon. I love them."

"Good. Keep it that way." The dark haired vampire slammed her back hard against a wall then let go vanishing as he vampire sped away.


The Gilbert house was quiet the next afternoon as Elena returned home from school with Celia in tow. Jeremy had gone off to the library which left the girls alone with Jenna. Luckily she was busy finishing up her term paper though she greeted them on her way back to her room. The girls relaxed getting a snack from the kitchen. Knowing now that they were half sisters didn't completely change Celia's view of Elena, but she was willing to properly get to know her and try to get along.

"So why do you spend so much time at the boarding house, if you don't mind me asking?" Elena asked tucking her hair behind her ear.

Celia shrugged her shoulders. "Well I don't spend that much time over there. I am kind of fascinated by their house though. Stefan was like my first real friend in town and now he's like my best friend. I know you were probably wary of how close we are, but he's honestly like a brother to me, I swear."

"And Damon?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Damon is Damon. Anyway, yeah, I've actually been taking an inventory of the boarding house library. Mostly out of curiosity, but neither of them seem to mind. If I find anything interesting, I'll let you know."

"Thanks. So the whole vampire thing doesn't freak you out?" The darker haired brunette asked.

The lighter haired brunette sighed clearly thinking about something. "Of course it does, but I also feel safe around the Salvatores."

"Something else on your mind?" Elena glanced over at her curiously.

Celia bit her lip in thought. "I want to go with you when you hand over the device to Mom."

"I'll be fine. Damon and Stefan will be there." She assured her.

She gave her a slightly amused look. "Are you going all big sister on me now? I was just thinking maybe if she saw us together that she might finally admit what she is protecting us from."

"Maybe a little. Okay that is a good point. Alright you can come. What, uh, what was she like as a mom?" Elena softened toward her.

Celia smiled at the thought. "She was a good mom. I mean, she wasn't your typical PTA kind of mom, but she tried to be involved in whatever I was interested in. A good cook, but not so good at baking. My parents didn't really fight much. At least not that I heard. Maybe a few arguments here or there. Pretty typical for a marriage though. She wasn't as good at giving advice as Dad, but she was always willing to listen. For my Sweet Sixteen last year, she gave me keys to her car. We couldn't really afford a third car, but she wanted me to have the experience anyway so we shared."

"Sounds like we both lucked out and had great moms then." She smiled at her.

The lighter haired brunette nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah we sure did. Ugh I kind of hate that Jenna probably thinks the worst of Dad now. I was just warming up to the idea of them dating."

"Just give it time. I'm sure he can explain everything to her once she has calmed down." Elena reassured her sister.

Celia raised her eyebrows giving her a look of disbelief. "And just how do you explain our mother?"

"Well you guys weren't lying about her disappearing. So that's a start, at least. I'm sure Ric can figure it out without mentioning Isobel turning. Jenna doesn't exactly know about the vampires." Elena admitted as she lowered her voice a bit.

She looked at her surprised. "Wait what? Why would Jenna not know? Did you just not tell her?"

"Aunt Jenna is just safer being kept in the dark."

Celia scoffed at that. "Yeah and she is also more vulnerable because she can't protect herself."

"Look I'll tell her. Just not now." Elena promised.

She sighed relenting a bit. "Alright fine. Just tell her soon please."

The darker haired brunette nodded her head in agreement. They then focused on eating their snacks and working on their homework.


The two of them were finished by the time that the Salvatore brothers arrived. Elena filled them in on Celia wanting to join them when they meet with Isobel. Neither brother thought it was a good idea, but they also weren't about to tell Celia that she couldn't see her mother. Hell, Celia being there could actually keep her mother from acting out dangerously if it came to that. It was early evening when the brothers escorted Celia and Elena out to the town square. The four of them weren't there long when Isobel approached them. She seemed surprised to see Celia there, but then quickly masked it.

"Hello. I trust you have the device, Elena." She smiled softly at her eldest daughter.

"I do. Why should I hand it over to you?"

"You can keep it. I'll just start killing everyone you care about instead until you change your mind." Isobel taunted her.

Celia grew upset not believing what she was hearing. "Mom, what happened to you? This isn't like you."

"Sweetheart, believe me, I don't want to kill anyone, but I will if it means the two of you are safe." She relaxed assuring her younger daughter.

"Safe from what? This device is only harmful to vampires." Damon remarked glancing over at her.

"Exactly. My daughters are safer without you guys in their lives. Yeah I get the irony with me being a vampire too, but trust me, I'll be far enough away once that device is turned on." Isobel pointed out to them.

"Fine. Here. Take the damn thing." Elena handed over the Gilbert device to her birth mother.

She frowned unsure of what to think about the whole situation. "They would never hurt us or put us in harm's way."

"Thank you. Maybe, Maybe not, but you're still safer with them out of your lives." Her mother took the device and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why do I look exactly like Katherine Pierce?" Elena suddenly blurted out staring over at their mother.

"Who?" A glimmer of recognition sparkled in Isobel's eyes at the mention of Katherine's name.

"Katherine Pierce. She's a vampire who was in Mystic Falls back in 1864. She turned Stefan and Damon." She explained further.

"I honestly don't know. I'm not sure that I've ever heard of her before." Isobel lied.

"Cut the crap. We know you've heard of her." Damon snapped at her.

Celia placed her hand on his arm making him relax a little. "Mom, please, if you know anything. Just tell us."

"Huh. I see it now. I didn't think too much of it before, but I get it." She stared at them as realization struck her.

"Get what?" He gave her a confused look.

"I get you, Damon. You're in love with my daughter. Both of them, actually." Isobel tilted her head slightly.

Stefan frowned clearing his throat. "Katherine. Do you know her or not?"

"No. I'm sorry I can't help you. Elena..." She trailed off looking over at her eldest daughter.

"What?" Elena gave her a cautious look.

"I have always dreamed of the day that I would finally get to meet you again, my darling girl. I'm just sorry that you had to meet me like this. I wish you could have met the woman I used to be. You would have liked her." Isobel mused appearing apologetic.

"I'm sorry too. I want absolutely nothing to do with you now." Elena huffed narrowing her eyes at her birth mother.

Against her better judgment, Celia ran forward hugging her mother. "Mom!"

"Oh Celia! I'm so sorry that you had to see me like that. I promise we'll be in touch and that I'll see you again as soon as I can." She returned the hug reassuring her youngest daughter.

The lighter haired brunette sighed pulling away from her. "Alright. You can't keep threatening the people Elena cares about because I care about them too, Mom."

"I won't do it again, sweetheart. I love you both. Be careful." Isobel smiled at them then turned around walking away.

Celia was unsure how to feel about everything that had just transpired. Watching her mother walk out of her life again didn't seem to help either. The words echoed in her mind as she turned around only to meet Damon's gaze. Was Isobel telling the truth or merely just deflecting? Celia wasn't sure, but she also wasn't about to ask Damon about it. At least not yet anyway.

Stefan gave her a concerned look. "Hey. You alright?"

She gave him a soft smile. "Uh yeah, I think so."

"Why don't you go home and relax? We can talk later." Elena suggested giving her sister a hug.

Celia returned the hug and sighed. "That's probably a good idea. Thanks. Actually I do have some of Mom's old stuff. I could dig through it tomorrow and see if Katherine is mentioned anywhere. Mom obviously knows something."

He nodded his head in agreement as the girls pulled apart. "Let us know if you find anything."

She smiled softly gazing over at Damon for a moment. "I will."