AN: So, here it is! Enjoy!

Then (14 and 15)

"What's you're favorite color?" Jenna asked dully.

"Blue. Yours?"

"Purple."

"Favorite food?" Mason asked, bored.

"Chinese. You?"

"Pasta."

They'd been at this for hours, playing stupid games to make the time go faster. The kids (babies), three year olds Elena and Tyler, had long since fallen asleep in the chair beside them. Miranda Gilbert had been in labor with the next Gilbert baby for almost twelve hours. Mason and Jenna had only been there for three, and they were bored to death.

"Hey kids." Grayson Gilbert came into the hallway, holding a tiny bundle in his arms.

"This is Jeremy."

Now

"You can go first." Jenna said, running her hand through her damp hair, in an attempt to comb it.

"Alright. What happened after I left?" Mason asked seriously.

"Wow. You don't pull any punches, do you?" she blew out a breath. He said nothing, only giving her a pointed look. The Lockwood Look that they all possessed, that said 'You know you want to tell me, so just get it over with, because I will get it out of you one way or another.' It had arrogance written all over it, but it worked.

"Okay, no need to give me the look." He rolled his eyes, and laughed a little.

"After you left," She began, "and I got over the initial crying jag, Logan asked me out. He said you were gone, and you weren't coming back because you didn't want me. He said he did, but I brushed him off for a while. I made up excuses, but he kept asking." Mason shifted, body tensing. Jenna hesitated over the next part. "But then my parents died, and everything was so screwed up, I thought, why not? What's the point of saying no, when it doesn't even matter? So I said yes. There were drugs, here and there, and there was drinking, and then even more after Logan cheated and left. Then Miranda gave me a wake up call. I sobered up, and started college."

He nodded, and moved his head so it rested in her lap. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're here now." She leaned down and kissed him softly. Then they broke apart, he grabbed her hand.

"You do know that I am here for good now, right? I'm not going anywhere, Jenna."

"I don't…know that you're staying. I hope you are, but I don't know if I can just believe it without…" Jenna trailed off, uncertain.

"Proof. You need proof." Mason said, nodding.

"I don't want to be like that." Jenna said earnestly. "I don't want you to feel like you have to prove something to me, because you don't. It's going to take time for us to get comfortable and to trust each other again."

He nodded, nuzzling his face against her stomach. "I…care about you Jenna. More than care. You are my whole world, and I don't know what I'd do if you were gone forever. At least when I was gone, you were here, and alive. I knew that. I knew you would be alright Jenna, because I know you. You're strong, resilient." He said softly. "I've always admired that about you."

She was stunned. "Mason, I love you." He looked up at her, looking regretful. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him with her hand. "Don't. It's okay, you don't have to say it back. I know Mason. I know." He sat up and hugged her fiercely.

They settled against the headboard, Jenna in Mason's arms. He laughed.

"We've stopped our twenty questions and got serious." Jenna laughed along with him.

"It's my turn to ask you." Jenna said, still smiling.

"Go ahead."

"Okay. Does it hurt, when you…?"

"Change?"

"Yes. Is it bad?"

He blew out a breath, and stroked her back. "The pain is manageable now. The first year, it was unbearable, and terrifying. Now, it's still terrifying, but I guess I'm used to it. Before though, I freaked. My whole body reshapes. My muscles reform, my bones bend and snap into a different shape…it's painful, yeah. But I try not to really think about it, you know? I just chain myself up, and try to keep calm."

She squeezed his hand. "Can you feel it coming on?"

"Yeah. Two or three days before the full moon I feel this, ah, tickle, I guess you could call it, at the back of my skull. As the moon get's closer, it spreads down my spine. My temper gets worse, and sometimes my eyes change." He sighed. "After, I'm tired, irritable, and hungry, so I stay away from people as much as I can."

She nodded, and smiled up at him. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome. So, my turn. What did you end up majoring in?" She laughed.

"Psychology. I'm studying to be a trauma therapist."

"Ooh, smarty britches."

"No, I just want to help."

"How's Jeremy doing?"

"He's fine, I guess. He won't talk to me, so I really have no idea what is going on with him, except when he hangs out with Tyler." At Mason's confused look, she continued. "Tyler keeps me informed."

"He's such a nosy gossip." Mason laughed.

"I don't ask him to tell me everything, I just want to know if Jeremy's okay. If he acts happy, or...I don't know." She said, frustrated. "I just want him to be alright."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Tyler can be hardheaded."

"I wonder who he gets that from?" she grinned up at him. He ruffled her hair.

"I just want them to be safe and happy. I mean with the Elena, Stefan, and Damon triangle thing going on, and Katherine appearing…" She shook her head tiredly. "I don't know how we got to the point where every day is a constant battle. It's a lot to handle."

She sighed, and then smiled brightly. "Think you can put up with it?"

"Yeah, baby. I do." He kissed the top of her head, feeling a little guilty for not telling her about his connection to Katherine, but he ignored it. Not telling her was the only way to keep her safe.

AN: I am not happy with last night's episode. Not. At. All. PM me if you want to discuss the awfulness of it.