A/N - Sorry for the delay, I swear it won't be so long between updates usually. Thanks for reading, and thanks to my awesomesauce beta for the helpfulness and the suggestions.

I should probably also mention that this chapter isn't very Delena-y, for those of you who are reading for such things. But hang in there, you will get what you want and more by the end of this journey.

The second Elena stepped off the plane, she felt something overcome her. It was such a mixture of feelings and she didn't know where they were pulling her. The first feeling that hit her was calming; a sense of familiarity. Her father's side of the family were French. At school, when she had the choice to take Spanish or French, she chose French so she could communicate with her dad's relatives if she ever met them. Elena felt a pang of sadness that she was in France for an entirely different reason, and her dad would never know.

But the other feeling that battled with the strange comfort she felt was that of darkness. It was the middle of the day and she felt like it was 3:00 AM. Everything around her seemed distant and dark and...forbidden. But instead of taking it as foreshadowing of some kind like she was known to do, Elena decided it was common to feel like that in a foreign country where she knew not a single soul and tried to remain optimistic. She took Stefan's hand and squeezed it. He smiled down at her and said, "I'm glad we're doing this."

"Me, too," she said, meaning it this time.

They retrieved their bags and headed outside, where a black car was waiting for them. A tall man with long dark hair was waiting outside the car, smoking a cigarette and looking bored. He was wearing a dark brown leather coat and dark jeans, but topped off the darkness with a yellow scarf. And when he saw Stefan, he grinned like a school boy. Elena assumed this handsome, mysterious stranger was the infamous Gabriel.

"Oh, Mr. Salvatore," he said with an intriguing accent. Elena thought it sounded like a mixture of French and something else, maybe Italian. "I thought you'd never get here. You left your brother at home, I presume?"

"Yes, Damon didn't come this time."

"Well, maybe next time. He always brings an interesting flair..." Gabriel trailed off as he saw Elena for the first time. He wasn't being very subtle about his shock. "Oh, my God...how can this be?"

She sighed. This was really getting old. Was she going to have to put up with the similarities for the rest of her life?

"Hello, how do you do? I'm Elena Gilbert." She wanted to say, Yes, I know I look like Katherine, but I'm not her. I'm her doppelganger. We are not the same person. Fortunately. But she didn't think Stefan would approve.

"Oh, yes, of course. I thought you were...someone else." He looked shaken. Elena wondered what kind of misery Katherine had caused him in the past.

"It's okay, Elena is used to being mistaken for Katherine," Stefan said. "Katherine has made life...difficult for us. Which is one of the reasons why we're here."

"The resemblance is really quite remarkable," Gabriel said. "I know you told me about her, but to see her in person is something else."

Elena was not amused. Okay, so she looked like Katherine. Could everyone just get over it now? Or had Katherine made such a mess of everyone's lives for the past god knows how many hundreds of years that history was incapable of forgetting her? Sometimes, when she was feeling generous, Elena had respect for Katherine. Sure, she was the most selfish bitch on the planet, but she knew how to protect herself. Elena was never allowed to protect herself-she had everyone else doing that job for her.

"Yes, well, let's go," Gabriel said, somehow managing to tear his eyes away from Elena. He opened the door to the black car and Elena stepped in, almost crushing a tiny, dark-haired woman sitting too close to the door.

"Oh, sorry," she said quickly. She was guessing two things: a. this was supposed to be Olivia, and b. she was going to be flabbergasted at her similarities to Katherine as well.

"You must be Elena," Olivia said, sliding over gracefully. "I've heard so much about you. Welcome." She smiled at Elena, who smiled back. If she was shocked about her resemblance to Katherine, she hid it well.

"Thank you. I'm so excited to be here."

Olivia's hair was styled in a long braid with a red ribbon, and she was wearing a red dress that came to her knees. Elena stopped for a moment to admire Olivia's strappy black sandals and ruby red toenail polish.

"We are glad to see you," Gabriel said, scooting in with Stefan. "We were under the impression Stefan was bringing Damon with him, but we are happy to see he's in the company of a very lovely lady."

Elena smiled but felt a familiar pang of doubt. Why didn't Stefan tell them he was bringing her?
"Damon is back in Mystic Falls," Elena said. "He's on Klaus Watch."

"Klaus?" Olivia raised her eyebrows but didn't seem particularly concerned. "I guess he's still making the rounds. But you seem to be intact, so I guess he hasn't completed his conversion yet."

Elena glanced at Stefan as if to say, you take this one.

"It's complicated. Elena did die. So did the vampire and the werewolf."

Gabriel chuckled. "Wow, you must know a powerful witch, then." He didn't seem surprised. Elena knew these vampires had probably been around for a while and probably weren't surprised by much of anything anymore. Except that whole Katherine thing.

"Klaus is still on the loose, then. And he's now a complete hybrid. That's rather unfortunate for us, especially because nobody has ever found a way to kill a hybrid."

"Enough about that," Olivia said, looking bored. "First things first." She opened her purse and handed a blood bag to Stefan. "You're not looking so good."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. He opened it quickly and started drinking it like water. Elena took his free hand and said softly, "Easy, you haven't built up that much of a tolerance yet."

"It'll be fine," he whispered, clearly not happy she brought this up in front of Olivia and Gabriel. Elena was aware she'd only known these people for all of five minutes, but she had a pretty good idea that these people didn't approve of Stefan's method of feeding. This was not a good sign. If he was already tempted for human blood when they barely even stepped off the plane, it was going to be a long summer. She hoped he had a plan.

Olivia and Gabriel talked about some long distant memory they had of Stefan when he visited last, which was apparently in 1987-or maybe it was 1978. Elena tried to listen patiently but instead she found herself staring out the window at the new scenery. So far, France was beautiful and different. She appreciated the quirky Renaissance-era buildings and watching the length of the Vilane river pass before her eyes. Having never been out of the country before, she was a little overwhelmed.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Stefan asked her. She nodded. He squeezed her hand. "I'll show you around soon. There's so many fascinating things to see here."

"I'm looking forward to that," she said, smiling.

The car finally pulled up in front of the nicest, biggest house Elena had ever seen. It was a huge, sprawling white mansion, with acres and acres of the greenest grass Elena had ever laid eyes on. Magnificent Magnolia trees stood in front, making the house look that much more regal.

"There's also a stable and a swimming pool in the back," Olivia said, grinning at Elena's obvious bewilderment. "Although the pool doesn't get used much. Our kind don't really like water much."

"It's so...beautiful," Elena said, trying to recover from seeing what she considered to be the most amazing house in the world.

"It's home," Gabriel said. "It has been for hundreds of years now. It's more like a boarding house, if you will. We have many of our kind roaming around the premises. We always have many visitors. Witches, warlocks, strangers in the night...we welcome all."

Elena wondered how many people they welcomed who never made it out of the house. That was a discussion she'd have to have with Stefan later.

"Come, Stefan, we have some things to talk about," Gabriel said, taking Stefan's arm. "And I believe the ladies have some things to chat about, as well."

"Oh, yes, I believe we do," Olivia said, putting her arm around Elena. Stefan looked pleadingly at Elena and she nodded. For some reason, she felt comfortable in the company of Olivia. She had a very nurturing nature about her.

"Well, let's take a walk," Olivia said.

"I'd like that." Elena followed Olivia around the grand estate, taking note of the huge trees and lush grass. She also kept her eyes open for possible hiding places. Being around vampires had taught her you could never really count on always being safe.

"So, Elena, how long have you and Stefan been together?"

"Almost two years," Elena said, smiling. "It's been a bit of a crazy two years, but I wouldn't take it back for anything."

"You sound smitten. Gabriel and I met when we were very young. Barely teenagers. We've been together for over 400 years."

"Wow, that's really admirable," Elena said, trying to contain her shock. "How have you managed to stay together for so long?"

"Well...we have this," Olivia said, spreading her arms to indicate the estate. "We are like the mother and father of vampires in France. Everyone here belongs to us. Tell me, Elena, did Stefan ever tell you about the Vlach Clan?"

"No, he didn't."

"The Vlach Clan of vampires goes back almost 600 years in France. Gabriel's ancestors were the first vampires to settle here. They came from Romania, as cliched as that sounds. They were a family of vampires and inbred and created an entire army. All of us come from that army."

Elena wasn't sure what to say. "Why is an army necessary?"

"Very good question, Elena. We are here to protect our legacy and make sure the Vlach Clan doesn't die. Because of the werewolves and the vampire hunters and other creatures we've made extinct over the years. We're also here to gather all who are lost. When someone-a human, a vampire, a witch, anybody who isn't our natural enemy-has lost their way and they find us, we take them in. Gabriel loves opening his heart to lost souls. Just one of the reasons why I love him."

Elena nodded, taking this all in.

"I know you have some big decisions to make in your life; you're still so young. But do you think...do you think you'd like to be with Stefan forever?"

"Oh, well..." She remembered Stefan telling her to maybe keep their conversation about her not wanting to be a vampire to herself. "I haven't really decided yet. Maybe?"

Olivia looked at her closely, which Elena did not enjoy. She felt like she could trust this new person in her life, but then again...Olivia was a vampire, one of the oldest in France, and she wasn't going to take a "no" in stride. Elena wondered again why Stefan brought her here, and if it were really for the reasons he claimed.

"I noticed your ring," Olivia said, and Elena looked down at John's ring and blushed. "And your necklace. And your bracelet."

"Oh, well, I..."

"It's okay, Elena. We understand. I just wanted you to know that we accept you here, vampire or not. You are not in danger. But we'd like you to consider coming to our side. Stefan loves you-I can see it in his eyes. Let me tell you, I love Gabriel with every single part of me. Being with him for so long has been the best part about being a vampire. We were never able to have children, but the Clan, these are our children. We take care of them; raise them as our own. It's a very powerful feeling to care about so many creatures and have them care for you, and I'm so lucky to have Gabriel by my side. Elena, we didn't bring you here to pressure you. I know what it's like to be a teenager and have your whole life ahead of you. But think about it."

"I will, and I am," Elena said. She looked around at the sprawling estate and wished she was at home, where nobody wanted her to be anything but who she already was.

Although Elena was uncomfortable the first day or two in France, she eventually started enjoying herself. Stefan was doting and happy and affectionate and they spent most of the day taking long walks or sitting in the sun drinking iced tea. She was getting a great tan and catching up on her reading. The chefs at the mansion made amazing food and Elena knew she would gain 20 pounds by the end of the summer, but she didn't care. It was just too good. And at night, she and Stefan would make love for what seemed like hours before drifting off to sleep. She could-almost-definitely get used to this kind of life.

It helped that she met a girl her age-well, her age plus a couple hundred years. Abby approached Elena when she was subathing and watching Stefan play tennis with one of his newfound vampy friends. He looked good in action, Elena decided.

"So your boyfriend is hot," said someone with a thick French accent. Elena looked up to see a tall, pale, intimidating looking girl with long, blonde hair, who happened to be staring at Stefan. She was wearing a blue bikini and very tiny denim shorts. Elena allowed herself to be envious of the girl's lithe, toned body for a second before reminding herself that she was just as thin as her, and plus, she had more interesting curves.

"Well...I can't deny that," Elena said, deciding to like this girl.

"Oh, I'm Abby. I like to cut to the chase with new people," she said, not taking her eyes off Stefan. "It helps break the ice."

"Hi, Abby. Elena. Nice to meet you."

Abby finally tore her eyes away long enough to shake Elena's hand. Elena noticed she had amazing emerald-green eyes. She was somewhat enchanted.

"Anyway, here, I brought you a Diet Coke. Mostly I just wanted to know, does your boyfriend have a brother? And did he come here with you guys? I mean, damn."

Elena's heart sank at the thought of Stefan's brother. These past couple of days, she was trying her hardest not to think of Damon. Somehow she'd been succeeding, until Abby came along. And suddenly her stomach hurt so bad, she could barely see straight. God, she missed that man.

"He does have a brother, but he's back in Virginia," Elena said, trying not to sound like she cared as much as she did.

"Well, damn. I guess I'll have to take a trip someday, then." Abby sighed. "So, tell me, when you first got here, did Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, scare you shitless or what?"

"You mean Olivia? She was fine, I like her," Elena said cautiously. She liked Abby; she reminded her of Caroline. But that didn't mean she was ready to confide in a person she just met three seconds ago.

Abby snickered. "Fair enough, I guess that's the best response you can give me without really knowing me yet. Don't let her scare you off, she's harmless. I mean, think about her life. Can you really imagine being married to the same dude for all eternity? Wouldn't you get tired of ironing his shirts and smelling his dirty socks?"

Elena chuckled. "Gross."

"Right? I've been in love before but I can't imagine being in love for hundreds of years. Maybe I'm just cynical that way, though."

"Yeah, me, too," Elena said, staring at Stefan playing tennis again. She was starting to feel like her relationship was being scrutinzed by everyone, and not just in Rennes. Of course loving a vampire was never going to be easy, but she was getting tired of always feeling like she and Stefan were under a magnifying glass.

She and Abby watched Stefan for a while and talked about Elena's life back in Mystic Falls. Elena was happy to find a friend, but still felt hesitant about confiding in Abby. She had a lot of specific questions she wanted to ask, but that would come in time. If anything, Elena had time.

After dinner that evening, Elena called home and talked to Jeremy for a few minutes about the trip and how he was doing. He said everyone was okay but they missed her a lot. When she was done saying a somewhat tearful good-bye, she ducked into the room that served as the computer lab. Several of the mansion's quirky residents were quietly typing away on their computers. She found an empty seat and checked her email. Spam, spam, update from Bonnie, a chain email from Caroline (she loved the things), spam, spam, and more spam. And one email from Damon. Elena's heart skipped a beat. Seeing his email address made her happier than she'd been all day.

I miss you. Be careful.

That was all the email said. But it was enough to give her butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She pressed "reply" and was thinking of something to say. She typed I miss you, too...in fact, I was thinking...

"Elena? Here you are," Stefan said, peeking his head in the lab. "Are you ready for bed? I'm so tired. All that tennis."

"Oh...yeah, I'm ready," she said. And before she even took too long to think about it, Elena turned off the computer without answering the email. It was best for everyone that way. She took Stefan's hand, and they escaped into a dreamless night.