Chapter 9

Alaric Saltzman was the only thing that anybody who was anybody at school and his aunt Jenna could talk about. He was the new history teacher who replaced Mr Tanner. He was different then all the other teacher's, cooler somehow. Anyone felt they could approach him with a problem and he was good at giving people second chances. Especially Jeremy.

Jeremy was getting sick of the chatter. He could overhear Caroline talking about it with Tyler and for a minute he was tempted to walk away back to the school library, to read more of the journal that he had found about his family history. It fascinated him. And it was good that he had something to write about for the history project that was going to save his grades.

When Caroline started talking about his sister though, he stopped in the act of walking away. Something about a sleep over from hell. He wasn't stupid, he could tell that there was something going on with his sister. She was always disappearing at odd hours of the day or night. But to hear Caroline gossiping about it was something he couldn't take.

"I thought you were supposed to be Elena's friend," he stormed over to them and was glad to see that Caroline looked taken aback by his anger, if a little guilty even. Good. So she should be.

"Jeremy back off..." Tyler warned.

"Why? We're not arguing over Vicki. This is my sister that you're talking about...behind her back! I just don't understand how you could. And Caroline...since when do you speak to Tyler?"

Jeremy wished he hadn't brought Vicki into the conversation because now he was thinking about her and he missed her. She had decided to leave town to go to rehab. He knew it was the best thing for her and had made him want to clean up his own act...but Tyler just brought it out in him.

"Do you miss you're little tramp of a girlfriend?"

"Tyler shut up," said Caroline, holding up her hand. "Listen Jer, we weren't gossiping ok? I know that I do that a lot but...stuff that happened it freaked me out and I just had to talk to somebody about it. Bonnie has been spending all her time with Matt if she's not with Elena who is always with Stefan and...who do I really have to talk to?"

"So you've become friends with the nearest creep you could find? Why am I even bothering with you guys? As long as you stop talking about my sister...I don't have to have anything to do with you!"

"He's not really that bad...are you Tyler?"

"Not that bad? I tried talking to him and he just picked a fight with me. How is that not that bad."

"Everyone has issues," Caroline had to admit to herself that she didn't know why she had started to talk to Tyler more. It wasn't like they had ever been friends before or even looked at each other. But she had been so lonely lately...

"Well he needs to sort them and fast." With that Jeremy turned away and left, leaving the two of them speechless and him feeling really proud of himself. He hoped Elena appreciated it when she heard about it.

If she ever heard about it...not that she was in school much these days. How could she get away with things but he couldn't?

...

"So, let me get this straight," said Lexi, leaning back and settling into the very comfy chair in the very posh and amazingly decorated boarding house. "In the other timeline...you killed me? This is supposed to make me want to help you because?"

"Oh, come on Lex, I'm really trying here ok?" Damon took another sip of his drink, wondering why they were making this so hard on him.

"It sounds to me like you're the evil one, not Stefan."

"You would say that. You're his bff," Damon muttered.

"Remember who you're talking to buddy. I'm ..."

"I know, I know. You're older wiser and oh so much stronger then me. You could crush me where I stand etc, etc. I could have used your help when everything went to shit you know. You have no idea how much I regret..."

"Killing me," She seemed to sense something in his tone of voice that was serious and she looked towards Stefan who still hadn't said a word. "I still can't believe all of this. Hell, I'm more likely to go all evil and kill everyone in town but Stefan..."

"I kill Elena don't I?" Stefan looked up at Damon and Damon was afraid his brother was actually going to cry...if vampires were capable of crying.

"Yes," it was nothing but the truth from now on."

"Then I have to stay away from her. I can't ever take that risk..."

"You can still be her friend brother. Because you've changed or, you're starting to change things. " Damon was more then a little bit worried about his brother's reaction to when he and Elena started to become close and that would happen very soon.

"When are we going to tell her? Elena?" Lexi asked suddenly. "I mean doesn't she deserve to know? I think a girl deserves to know why the man she loves can't ever be with her again and why he suddenly backing off."

"Well, if you remember, they're on a break at the moment Lexi. Of course...in the other time line they are always on a break. It's like Ross and Rachel from friends..."

"You watch Friends?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, the severity of the situation forgotten for a second by that comment.

Damon rolled his eyes. "There's always old episodes on TV all the time. Sometimes it's the only thing to watch. Off topic...in the other reality you guys get back together but this time you can't. So...I think it's only right that I tell her the news. Of course she also has to know that she's adopted...but I can cross that bridge when I come to it."

"When are you going to tell her?" Lexi was curious.

"Well...when you guys sleep together for the first time she finds a picture of Katherine and then she gets in a car accident and I happen to rescue her and we end up going to Georgia...so sorry. This must be hard for you."

But although he felt slightly guilty at mentioning things Stefan would never get to experience, the image of him killing Elena, of Elena's funeral still firmly etched into his mind, kept him from feeling too bad.

Stefan looked away and took a sip of his own drink...for once he wasn't being a boring saint.

"But first we have a Logan hunt to deal with," Damon sighed. "In the grand scheme of things he's not that bad but he is annoying in many ways."

"And Logan is after us because?" Stefan asked, struggling to keep up with events that where making his head spin.

"Because he wants to know how we walk in the daylight and because he's a crazy new born vampire. He should be pretty easy to kill between the three of us."

"So you know where he'll be?" asked Lexi standing up. "Then we better go. Damn it I was just getting comfortable."

...

Damon was right. Killing Logan was easy, but he had much more important things to worry about. He wondered how he would actually get to Georgia with Elena though. He could tell she was beginning to get Stefan withdrawals and he couldn't let that happen so he had to be a little bit manipulative here, it was just part of his nature.

She still needed to see that picture of Katherine but if she and Stefan never got back together then she would never have a reason to come up to his room, or come over to the boarding house for that matter. He had to start talking to her and getting her to trust him much more then she already did...and that wasn't a lot. He had to get her to see the picture...

He hesitated as he walked into the main rooms of the boarding house and he could hear voices.

"How could you Stefan? How could you keep these things from me? I've been opening up my heart to you, trusting you with everything and this..."

"Elena I'm sorry..."

"I came over here to tell you I want to be with you know matter what. I just needed some time to deal with all of this...vampires, witches. I just needed time. But then you dump all of this on me and tell me that I look like her and that...I'm adopted, I..."

"I had to tell you the truth. You had a right to know."

"What's going on?" Damon couldn't let her find out anymore then that yet. At least he didn't have to manipulate his brother and damage what they had managed to repair. Stefan was doing a good job of destroying his relationship on his own. He had become very good at destroying things though.

"Did you know about all of this?" Elena turned towards him with anger and pain in her eyes. "You must have done. You must have known. Even if you hate each other you're brothers. You know things."

"I did know," he said it without thinking and winced when he realised how all this sounded to the poor bewildered girl.

"You both know that I look like the famous Katherine and you didn't tell me? God I wish I had never got involved in any of this. I hate you both!"

Elena had never felt so betrayed by everyone in her life. Jenna must have known about all of this too and been hiding it from her for all these years. Did Jeremy know? Did anyone else know? She was shaking and tears were running freely down her cheeks.

"Elena wait," Damon started to walk towards her, to reach out to her. He wanted nothing more then to comfort her, but she was already turning, running, running as far away from them as she could. He heard the sound of tires screeching as she drove off into the night.

"Go," Stefan said simply to Damon. His face only showed defeat. "Go and do what you need to do. Just...make her better."

Without another word, without looking back Damon ran after Elena using his vampire speed to catch up with her.

Lexi placed a hand on Stefan's arm and she could feel the tension in his muscles, could feel that he was ready to collapse any second.

"Stefan I'm sorry," She murmured.

"Just leave me alone," his voice had no emotion at all and it worried Lexi a lot.

"No. That's what get's you in trouble in the future Stefan. You can't handle loosing Elena but you have to let her go. You have to...otherwise you'll lose yourself and everything you care about. I'm going to help you through this I promise," and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and she didn't let go for a very long time.

...

That night they had all been full of bravado, standing together making plans to defeat Stefan. But it didn't do any good in the end. Because Elena wasn't strong enough. After the snow storm incident Damon had forced everyone to wear their vervain necklaces and jewellery to protect themselves from Stefan's mind games. But Elena had decided to go to him anyway one last time and try to convince him to stop, to come home. Against everyone's wishes she had done this, not able to cope with the fact that this was all her fault she had gone to him. He was still in her head without the need to compel her. Damon had found her body by wickery bridge, where he had saved her last time.

He collapsed by her side shaking with tears. He held her close to him murmuring I'm sorry, over and over. It was a night that would haunt him forever.

...

Damon raced through the night following her scent, the sound of the car. He heard the crash and saw the man she had run over running away from the scene. He bent down and got her out from the car and when she murmured "I look like her" and fainted in his arms, he held her close to him glad beyond belief that this time she had a pulse. And he would keep it that way. That night had haunted him forever, because even though their love might have been the strongest love in the world, because of who she was Elena wouldn't stop trying to save someone she had cared about. She hadn't been able to forget Stefan. But now he would be able to make her forget her pain and they would be able to have some fun. At least that was the plan.

TBC

Thank you once again for all your reviews please keep them coming I would be very grateful to know what everybody thinks of this story. I am running out of time to write so will have to leave it there I'm afraid. Will update soon promise!