A/N: Oh gosh, I love you guys so much.

With your kind reviews and encouraging statements, I've decided to write up another chapter and post it so quickly just because you guys are awesome and your reviews have pushed me to keep writing.

So, for your reward, here's a new chapter, almost a week early! Don't get used to it because I'm just spoiling you right now. Soon, I'm going to be very busy and writing it going to be very hard, but I promise weekly updates!

XOXO- ESS

Disclaimer: I own nothing; simply my own ideas.

Chapter II

Loud; that one word summed up my father's side of the family quite nicely. From high pitched shrieks from my young niece, to the hustle and bustle of people working hard in the kitchen, sleep was not the easiest thing to come by in my new home. I swear I had only just closed my eyes when I felt the opposite side of the bed sink under the weight of an unidentified person. Opening my eyes felt like a chore, so I opted for speaking. Working up the bitchiest voice I could muster, I said, "What do you want?" I groaned as my throat burned, my voice coming out like a croaking frog. I didn't realize how sore my throat was going to be after that final show.

"'Lena, you've been asleep for almost seventeen hours. I believe it's time for you to get your ass out of bed," a familiar voice muttered, the scent of wintergreen mouthwash tickling my face as Jeremy, my younger brother, tried to coax my body from the bed.

Another croak escaped my lips, "Seventeen hours?"

"Well, Jenna said you crashed about three and well, the current date is June eleventh, twenty thirteen, and it is currently eight o'clock in the morning," Jeremy said, poking my side with his finger.

Another fun fact about me, I'm deathly ticklish. I mean, if you tickle me, there is a chance you'll come out with a broken arm or a bloody nose. I can't control my body when someone's fingers are probing into my sides. So, the rule stands; tickle at your own risk. But it seemed that my baby brother was trying as he might to get me out of this extremely comfortable bed. "Jer, you know I love you, but you're really killing my vibe," I managed to whisper out, cracking open my eyes the slightest bit. The room was still darkened from my faux curtains but my head was still pounding from the dim lighting of the room.

"Get up," He said again, smacking my rear with his hand, "Jenna made pancakes and we have guests coming over, too," his hand collided with my backside again, "Up. Now."

"I'm gonna kill you," I said as loud as I could, though it came out as a barely audible threat. Damn, my throat was on fire and I was in desperate need of an aspirin and some chocolate milk, my true weakness. So, with all the strength I was able to conjure up, I sat, pushed the duvet down to my waist and ran my fingers through my now completely dry hair trying to give it a bit of volume as I cut my eyes in the direction of my grinning brother. Suddenly the perfect idea struck me. Flinging my arms around his torso, I squeezed as hard as I could, thankful for the many hours I'd devoted to the gym in my spare time on tour. "Oh baby brother, I missed you so much!" I cooed into his ear, planting a bunch of wet kisses all over his face. His distaste was easily revealed on his face as he tried to struggle out of my arms.

"Elena, I love you and I've missed you a shit ton, but if you don't get off me right now, I'm going to tickle you and I'd really hate for things to come to that because you know—I'd rather not be castrated on my sister's first day of the best summer of her life," Jeremy said, his voice rather breathless as I squeezed harder on his diaphragm.

"If you ever wake me up at eight in the morning ever again, I will personally castrate you on my own accord," I whispered sickeningly sweet into his ear, releasing my grip on his arms and pushing him violently off the bed where he landed with a loud thud on the ground. "Get out so I can get dressed," I said, rubbing my eyes roughly with my fingertips. "Oh, did you need to talk to me about something?" I inquired, sliding off the bed, my feet hitting the floor with a soft thump.

"Come to breakfast and you'll find out," Jeremy quipped back, a genuine smile gracing his young, boyish features. "Oh, and I put your clothes up for you," He said, something wicked sparkling in his eyes as he spoke. He opened my bedroom door and stood in the frame, his eyes locking with mine, "Walking STD told me he met you. He's my friend so don't run him off," my brother warned, pointing his finger at me like I was the child in the situation.

"I don't like him, Jer. It's my goal in life to run him off."

"Well, he'll be joining us for breakfast, so do your worst."

And just like that, my morning was ruined.

Twenty minutes later, after I'd tamed my long locks into a ponytail, and I'd searched relentlessly for my clothing that Jeremy claimed to have put away, which he clearly lied about, I'd shrugged into my favorite hooded sweatshirt I'd managed to find hanging in the closet and a pair of flannel pajama pants, my cold natured body already loving this southern heat. With my most hated glasses resting on my face, I made my way down the stairs, the scent of maple syrup and pancake batter filling my nostrils, earning a loud growl from my stomach in return. I could hear chatter from the kitchen and I'd barely made it to the bottom of the stairs before a pair of small arms locked tightly around my knees.

"Hi, 'Lena, I'm Avery!" Her childishly high voice rang, her big green eyes staring up at me under impossibly long lashes that brushed her cheeks with every blink. She resembled my dad's side of the family with the big doe eyes and flawless olive skin, yet it was clear she had taken on some of the bigger genes from Jenna's side. With the fiery red hair that curled into loose ringlets all the way down her back, the impossibly sea green eyes, and the spatters of freckles that drifted across her nose and around her cheekbones, she definitely had taken a lot of Jenna's traits. I bent down and lifted her light body into my arms, holding her close against my chest.

"Hi there, Avery," I said, my hoarse voice sounding so harsh compared to her trilling one, "I'm Elena," I introduced myself as I walked into the kitchen to find five pairs of eyes locked on my face. I sat her down onto the hard wood floor and she grabbed for my hand, holding it snugly with her small fingers. John sat at the head of the table with Jenna on his right. Beside her sat a pretty girl with almond shaped eyes and impossibly black hair. Jeremy sat at the other end of the table with walking STD on his right, leaving the only empty chair beside him. Avery dropped my hand and ran over to the stool that raised her up high enough to reach the table and sat down, leaving me standing in the doorway with what felt like a bunch of strangers. "Well good morning to you, too," I croaked out, managing a weak smile.

"Elena, you sound like hell," John commented, his eyes taking in my roughed up appearance. Jenna stood silently, giving me a quiet smile as she walked around and pulled a tea bag from the pot on the stove.

"Well, I kind of figured you might like some peppermint tea to soothe your throat," Jenna admitted, her red blonde hair pulled into a ponytail fairly similar to mine. How on earth she knew peppermint tea was my absolute favorite after a show beat me, but I was totally welcoming the hot liquid with open arms.

"Thank you so much," I replied, sliding into my chair and surveying the table in front of me. When Jeremy said pancakes, I'd assumed he'd meant just that, but what I came face to face with was enough food to feed an entire army and then some. Three plates of pancakes stacked about twenty high sat in the middle of the table surrounded by steaming biscuits, a variety of meats from sausage to bacon, fruit tossed together in a bowl, cheese grits dappled with pieces of ham, scrambled eggs, and two pitchers, one filled with sweet tea, the other with lemonade. A tall glass of dark brown chocolate milk sat beside my plate and I smiled towards my dad, happy he'd remembered my all time favorite morning drink. My stomach growled and I momentarily forgot where I was, lost in the arrangement of food in front of me.

"Let me introduce you to the family," Jeremy said, standing up from his chair just as Jenna slipped the hot tea in front of me and took her seat beside John. I gave her a quiet thanks as he began, "Okay, well you obviously know our parents, Jenna, John, say hi," That earned an eye roll from both of them, followed by a snicker of laughter from John, "Next, you seem to have already met Avery. She's your biggest fan and you might be quite embarrassed if you look in her room because all you'll see is your face staring back at you. It makes for one hell of a nightmare," Jeremy continued as Avery nodded her head vigorously, "Walking STD is seated beside you and well, you two have already met and I'm not going to indulge you in any information about him because he requested I didn't."

I narrowed my eyes and turned my head to the left, catching a wink from STD boy, "Sorry, sweetheart, but you'll have to earn information about my life," He said quietly, low enough that he was only speaking to me. I'd almost forgotten Jeremy was speaking until he cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together nervously.

"And this beautiful lady beside me is Annabelle Dawson," He motioned to the girl sitting beside him and she blushed, adverting her eyes to the table before looking up with him with a look I couldn't quite place shining brightly in her eyes.

"Call me, Anna," She spoke, her warm voice catching me off guard. She'd moved her eyes to look across the table at me and I stared back into her deep brown black eyes looking rather similar to my own and gave her a small smile which she returned, revealing bright white teeth the contrasted against her naturally pink lips.

"And Anna is my fiancée," Jeremy said, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. It seemed nearly impossible that my baby brother had found love before me and was getting married. I deemed it a lie and shook my head, a laugh escaping my lips. Everyone turned to look at me and I noticed that none of them were laughing and that they all held the same expression; happiness.

"Are you serious?" I questioned, my eyes unwelcomingly filling with tears as he nodded and Anna lifted her hands onto the table to reveal a rock on her left ring finger. "Oh my gosh," I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. Jumping from the table so quickly I was surprised it didn't fall with the force I put into pushing myself up, I tackled Jeremy in a hug so big I may have ruptured a few internal organs in the process. "My little brother is growing up so fast," I said in a hushed voice as his arms wrapped back around me and held me tightly.

"That's what I needed to tell you, 'Lena," Jeremy whispered, kissing the top of my head. I released him from my grasp and pulled my glasses off, wiping my eyes as a few tears dripped onto my cheeks. "I'm getting married in October and I'd really love it if you'd be here for the ceremony," he said, sitting back down in his chair as I moved to take my seat.

It was John's turn to speak up, "I know you've only agreed to stay the summer, but I'd really love it if you'd just extend your stay until October," He confessed, picking up a coffee cup with steam swirling around the rim and taking a slow sip of the scalding liquid, wincing a bit as it burned his lips.

I bit my lip and looked around the faces of my family, "About that, I don't know if I'll be able to stay through the summer. I told my boyfriend I'd only stay two weeks," I confessed, pulling off my glasses and rubbing my face roughly, already regretting my decision to return home so soon. The look of defeat on Jeremy's face was unbearable and I quickly added, "But I'll call Matt and rearrange the times. Family above all, right?" I said, meeting the eyes of my brother who immediately sparked up at the change of plans. A wide smile broke out on Anna's face and she reached over to grab his hand atop the table.

"You're the best, Elena," He said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Elena, I was hoping you'd be my maid of honor. I've already started planning some stuff, and I'd really love your input," Anna said, her narrow eyes gleaming hopefully at me from across the table. It was the kindest thing anyone had ever done for me. I was so used to being used for my connections and for publicity but this girl only wanted me for my honest opinions. I loved her already.

"Of course I will!" I agreed, "Now, if I have to look at this food any longer, my mouth is going to start watering. Can we eat now?" I begged, looking around the table again. Jeremy and Anna gazed lovingly at one another. Avery had already snagged a pancake from the top of the stack and was eating it with her bare hands. Jenna and my father both had their eyes locked on mine with a wide grin on their faces and as for walking STD (we'll just call him Unknown for now), he had his eyes locked on something unknown outside the window.

"Let's dig in," John said, lunging towards a stack of pancakes.

And just for that moment, life was normal.

After I'd stuffed my face with enough food to last a lifetime, I'd decided it was better to call Matt sooner rather than later and let him absorb the information. Was he going to be mad? Yes. Was he going to yell at me? Yes. Was he going to break off our relationship? Not even if I asked him to. That was the thing with Matt; no matter how mad he got at me or how bad of a girlfriend I was, he wouldn't dare to try and call things off. I don't know if it was because I was Elena Gilbert and I had enough money to ruin his life, or if it was just he was scared of what I'd do to him if he did. To be quite honest, if Matt wanted to leave me, of course I'd be heartbroken, but I'd never ruin his life. It just wouldn't be fair.

I searched my room high and low for anything out of the wardrobe I'd brought with me, but I couldn't find a single article of the clothing. Being sure my pills hadn't been moved or discovered in the sock drawer, I pulled out a pair of cut off blue jean shorts and a Duke Blue Devils jersey, sliding it over my arms and ripping my phone from the charger.

The screened in back patio was thankfully empty and I took a seat on one of the cushioned wicker chairs, my eyes drifting to the beautiful inlet. I could now fully understand why my dad and Jenna had picked this place to reside. It was absolutely beautiful. Quick dialing Matt's number, I placed the phone to my ear and listened to the ringing. It rang four times before he finally picked up on the fifth. "Hello?" The sound of loud music played in the background, but it was suddenly muted, a few laughs echoing into the receiver.

"Hey, babe, what's up?"

"Oh, Elena—uh, nothing really, just hanging out with some of the guys."

"I have some good news and bad news."

"Good news first."

"Jeremy is getting married."

"That's awesome, 'Lena. I'm really happy for him. When's the wedding?"

"October. The bad news is that his fiancée has asked me to be the maid of honor and they're both requesting I stay in Wilmington until the wedding."

"No."

"Matt, I've already agreed. So, either you can agree or you can hang up."

The line went dead. Groaning, I raked my fingers through my ponytail and massaged my temples. This is exactly what I was expecting from him. Matt was never one for compromise and I was beginning to wonder why we'd actually stayed together all those years. But, I loved Matt. He was so sweet and nice and normal and I really liked having him around. Shooting him a text that read, 'Call me later when you're ready to tlk. Hugs and kisses, luv lenabear'. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a voice in the chair next to me.

"Boy trouble?" Unknown asked, having changed from the last time I saw him into a pair of black jeans and a deep gray v-neck that hugged every muscle on his lean body. I had been wrong about his hair, too. It wasn't jet black, it was more of a midnight black. And his eyes, oh my God, those eyes had me transfixed. I couldn't look away. I had almost about to regain my ability to speak when he cut me off, "Does she speak English?" He asked, quirking his brow together as his eyes drifted towards the inlet before landing back on me.

"Go away," I snapped, the roughness of my voice making me sound a lot less threatening than I was attempting to be.

"Well, I was here first, so why don't you go away," He said back, lacing his long fingers together in his lap and turning his head to look at me. The challenge drawn in his eyes and the smirk tugging on the corners of his lips was enough to keep me rooted in my position in the chair. Who was he to tell me to leave my own home?!

"This is my house. I live here. You don't," I rebutted, crossing my arms over my chest defensively and meeting his dark gaze.

"I've been sleeping in your bed for three days now. Last night I was forced to the couch thanks to you. I'm not happy about you being here either," He drawled, the twang swirling through every word that left his lips.

"What do you mean by 'either'? Everyone here is happy to see me."

"You don't want to be here."

"You don't know me!"

"Elena Marie Gilbert; born on the twenty first of August in Atlanta, Georgia; musical prodigy; sold out Madison Square Garden in three point five seconds; dating Matt Donovan, tour staff; three year relationship apparently now on the rocks…" He trailed off, his eyes narrowing into slits, "Still think I don't know you?"

"That's creepy that you know that and mine and Matt's relationship is none of your business! I'm going to file a police report and tell them you're stalking me," I muttered, picking at my cuticles, a nervous habit I'd picked up from my mother.

"All I had to do was read a magazine to know that you're just like every other bratty pop singer out there. You write songs about summer nights and happy ever after and all that nonexistent shit that people like to hear on the radio," He replied easily, suddenly sounding bored with the conversation. He brought his ankle up to his knee and rested it there, raking his fingers through his messy hair to push it away from his face.

"I find it incredibly unfair that you know all this information about me and my life, yet I don't even know your name," I said, furrowing my brow and twirling the end of my ponytail around my finger. Though he was right about the whole magazine part; I never seemed to be able to keep any secrets in this life, he was wrong about the song part. "Oh, and I write about stuff that I like, too!"

"Oh please, your song 'My Girls' is about you going out with a bunch of girls and partying until your feet hurt! How can you possibly like to listen to that stuff?" He asked, leaning back in the chair, the wicker creaking with the movement. "How can anybody like to listen to that stuff?" He mumbled so low I almost didn't hear it.

"All three of my albums have gone platinum within the first week they're released and people line up outside my door just to get a glimpse of me. I'd say I'm a little more appreciated than you seem to believe," I replied, a confident tone stressing through my voice. I mean, people loved me and they loved my music. That's the reason I'd already won three Grammy awards, right?

"Conceited much?" he asked, one brow arching as the smirk returned to his lips.

"Confident would be more appropriate. What's your name?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" And with that final statement, he stood and exited the patio, leaving me alone with my raging thoughts.

I leaned my head back against the back of the house and inhaled a deep breath through my nose, releasing it through my lips in slow puffs, a technique my therapist had taught me for those oh so stressful moments in life that made me think about that fateful night when the whole ordeal had gone down. Isobel had gone through so much to be sure the paparazzi never caught wind of it and fortunately for me, she'd practically erased the event, except the nightmares that haunted my dreams every night.

Finally gaining some motivation to do something productive with the day, I stood from the chair and made my way back into the house, trotting up the stairs and flopping down face first onto my bed. That's when I smelled it. I was shocked I hadn't smelled it before. It wasn't cigarettes, it was something richer and much fouler; cigar smoke. Unknown smoked cigars, now did he? That was repulsive and I was immediately turned off by the smell. But, mixed in with it was something that drew my nose like a moth to a flame. Peppermint and honey mingled together with the rich smoke scent and it was like heaven drizzled into my sheets. I shot up and tugged my hair out the ponytail, letting it fall in straight locks around my shoulders. "Jeremy!" I hollered as loud as my poor voice could, scratching my arm as I heard his footsteps thud down the hall.

"What?" He replied, sticking his head in my door and flicking his eyebrows up.

"One, where are my clothes? Two, why does my bed smell like cigars? Three, why the fuck was someone sleeping in my bed!?" I asked, the anger pent up inside beginning to boil a bit. Of course I wasn't mad at Jeremy, I was mad at unknown for being so annoyingly stupid and bothering the ever loving shit out of me.

A grin broke out across Jeremy's face and he shrugged, "One, you had too much pop star stuff, so I put that away. You're in Wilmington, not Hollywood. Two, D—STD boy likes to play pool at a place a few miles away. They allow smoking and when he comes home, the stench is usually laced in his clothing. Three, his family was out of town and he didn't want to stay home alone," He said, walking into my bedroom and hopping up on the dresser. "You know, he's not that bad once you get to know him, right?"

"That's the problem, I don't want to know him! He's snarky and appalling and he makes my skin crawl and I don't even know his fucking name!" I groaned, flopping back against the pillows and pressing one against my face. "When is he leaving?" I asked, more than ready for him to be gone from my home and back somewhere he belonged; like jail or Alaska.

"His parents fly in tonight. But, I must warn you that he doesn't live far," Jeremy admitted, pointing out my large window at the house across the small patch of water.

"He doesn't."

"That's his house."

I groaned louder and punched the pillow, more than angry that he was only moving less than a mile away from me. Great. Perfect. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my summer. "If I have to live next door to him, at least promise me—," my phone blared 'Bird Machine' and I jumped, pulling it off my dresser and looking at the caller I.D. "Hey, Bonbon! How is—?"

"Tell me you haven't looked at Pop News Weekly," She almost shrieked into the phone and I could hear the rapid turning of pages on the other end. I cut my eyes to Jeremy who was pressing buttons on his cell phone, clearly preoccupied.

"Uh, no I haven't. I've yet to be out in public since I got here, why?" I asked, sliding the pillow off my face and pulling at a few loose threads that were fraying along the ends of the case.

"I'm going to email you the article and I want you to go look at it as soon as possible and call me back."

"Okay, I'll do that," I muttered, pressing the big red end button on my cell phone and tossing it down on the bed. "Jer, is there a computer somewhere around here?" I asked, standing from the bed and walking towards the door.

"Yeah, there's one in my room," He replied, shoving his own cell phone into his pocket and hopping down off my dresser to lead me into the sacred man cave of his bedroom. I was a bit shocked to see stark white walls with a bright red bedspread and black furniture placed randomly in the space. A desk tucked away in the corner held a large screen Apple computer and a few speakers were positioned around it. Anna lay on his bed, her nose stuck in a bridal magazine with a pair of ear buds stuck in her ears. She pulled them out when we entered, "Hey sweetheart," Jeremy said, dropping down on the bed next to her and kissing her cheek.

"Ew, gross," I called over my shoulder, pulling out the desk chair and flopping down onto the soft seat, pulling up the browser and waiting patiently for it to load. I turned around and asked at the raven haired girl, "What's the color scheme for the wedding?" ,popping my knuckles with the heel of my hand.

"I was thinking maybe orange and brown since it's an October wedding. The fall colors would just look so pretty. We could get married here on the inlet with the trees and their changing leaves and all," She said with a small shrug, flipping through a few more pages in the magazine.

Once the browser was up, I pulled up my email and logged in, clicking on the email from Bonnie that was at the top of my inbox list. A blue link to the magazine with the article attached with no message was the only thing in the body email. Double clicking on the link, I barely had to wait for it to load before the picture was on the screen, bright and clear. I gasped and pushed back out the chair, running down the stairs and out the back door, my hand on my chest as my breathing came out in short, small pants.

Avery and Unknown were playing in the shallow waters, picking out shells, seeming so carefree and happy. He hefted her over his shoulder and spun her around a few times, eliciting a burst of giggles from her lips. When they noticed me standing there, the little girl ran towards me and tilted her head to the side, noticing the tears that overflowed in my eyes. The boy stood a few feet back, his brow knitted together as he looked at the expression on my face. Just as I was about to speak, Jeremy and Anna burst through the back door, flanked by John and Jenna.

I turned to face my family and saw the look of realization and sorrow displayed across their features. They'd seen the photo. John was the first to speak, "Elena, I'm so sorry," He whispered, taking a slow step towards me. Jenna's hands shoved into her back pockets and she looked down, shaking her head back and forth.

I don't really remember what happened next. My brain got a little fuzzy as my knees fell against the soft grass. The sobs were wrecking through my chest, ripping away at my heart and tearing my life apart. I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness, the photo the last thing in my mind before I blacked out.

Matt Donovan kissing another girl.