"You know you didn't have to keep doing this."

"I know," Alyssa scooped eggs on to Matt's plate, "I want to." She returned the pot back to the stove. "And it's a valid excuse to get out of the house," she grabbed the bread out of the toaster as it pooped out, "which I desperately need." She put bread on both of their plates. "Uncle John is coming for a visit."

He buttered his toast. "How long as it staying for this time?"

"I don't know." She poured them coffee. "But whatever I didn't to deserve such a fate," she sat down across from him, "I'll do whatever it takes to make amends so that he never have to darken my doorstep again."

"Uncle John," Matt shook his head. "I never really liked that guy."

"Does anyone?" She didn't even think he had one single friend.

Matt reached across the table, "I'm here for moral support if you need me."

"Thanks," she spread butter over hand jam and folded her bread. " But I think I'll suffer this one alone; you've been through enough. Having to do with the cap crusader shouldn't have to fall to you."

"But you've been there for me more times then I can count. Especially helping with Vicki's funeral and planning the memorial. I couldn't have done it without you."

"She was my best friend, of course I'd be here for you. She deserved that much."

"No one got her the way you did."

"It's because she allowed me to see more of her than anybody. I got to know her during her highs and lows and everything in between." She didn't know what she was going to do without her now that she was gone. She didn't think she'd ever feel that close to anyone ever again. Getting a misty around her eyes, she decided to change the subject. "So, is Caroline still baking for you guys, around the clock?"

She was the reason she hadn't been around more, for the the cooking at least.

"She finally went to her dad, which is a good thing because my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagna."

"Note to self, leave lasagna off the list." She bit into her toast and he did the same and they started to make plans about what to do with Vicki things.

"Hey I got your text," Alyssa said joining Elena at a table outside of the school.

"Did you know Jeremy was writing a paper about vampires?" Alyssa thought she seemed a little concerned about the idea, which she didn't get.

"He mentioned it" she took off her book-bag and sat it on the table.

"And you didn't think of mentioning it to me?"

"Why would I when he doesn't believe any of it?"

"Did you read it?"

"He wanted me to take a look at it," rather she asked when she learned of the subject topic to make sure that he didn't happen to have written any truth by accident, but with how freaked out Elena was acting, she didn't think it was the best thing. "It was a lot of speculations theories that vampires were just a analogy for the confederate solider. He didn't stumble upon any truths that he realized about any of this. So as long as you don't go to him freaking out about it, we should be good."

"You're right." She watched Elena and could see she was slowly starting to come back to be herself and not the paranoid mess she had saw before her. "It's just we've did so much to protect from all of this."

"I know. And we have to keep it that way," especially with the tomb vampires free which was another problem all in itself.

"He asked me how dealt with it, Rick," Elena answered when she saw Alyssa's confusion, "When he showed me the paper. He asked me how deal with all the lies and the secrets. I told him I tell myself it's not safe for them to know the truth. So, yes I'm keeping it from them, but it's only because I love them. I just wish I could've done the same for you."

"I've thought the same thing." She admitted having had the same thought on more than one occasion. "But then I think if you had, then I'd went the rest of my life not knowing what was out there and what I should be afraid of. I wouldn't've know what really happened to Vicki and I would spent those months thinking she left me and she didn't call because didn't care. We wouldn't have gotten close as we have. You would be going through you being adopted and your vampire mother by yourself and I wouldn't want that. So when I think about all that, I think about the silverlinings."

"Stefan would be mine, even after everything that's happened, everything that I've found out. Stefan makes it worth it."

"How is he?" She heard from Damon that he wasn't doing so good after drinking Elena's blood.

"He says he's fine," she could tell from her tone she didn't believe him.

"But you don't believe him?"

"I want to."

"Why don't you go see him? I'll even come with you."

"Trying to avoid Uncle John huh?"

She frowned at the mention of his name and got up grabbing her bag, "Yeah….." The last time he was in town they exchanged some words and his visit didn't end pleasant.

Elena threw her arm over her shoulder, "you have to face him sooner or later."

"Can't you just get Damon to kill me?" She asked as they walked away from the school. "It'd be a lot more fun.."

Alyssa opened the door and walked into the house, a place she had hoped to avoid while her John was staying there, but Matt had to work and she didn't want to be left alone with Kelly who had spent more time drinking then she had before now that she found out about Vicki.

"The Gilbert's have been part of this town for a hundred and fifty years." She walked into the kitchen hearing voices, one in particular. Jeremy, Jenny, and John were there and it was the latter that made her almost turn around.

"We're one of the founding families," John continued to say, "with that distinction comes certain obligations including going to the party. One day, when you can appreciate the significance, I'll tell you all about your heritage."

Alyssa opened the fridge continuing to listen to their conversation. Jenna spoke next. "Hmm, the Gilbert family legacy." Alyssa turned to them after pulling out pizza and a soda. "I forgot how sacred it was. I'm not a Gilbert so I was never cool enough to hear it."

She put the leftover pizza in the microwave to heat up and studied her uncle. The Gilbert family secret involved vampires. So it stood to reason that he would know about it. She just didn't know how much he really knew.

"Why does she hate you?" Jeremy asked John as Alyssa turned to get her pizza out of the oven.

"We used to sleep together." John answered.

Alyssa grabbed her soda along with her plate, "and here I thought you had better taste than that," she said to Jenna as she left the kitchen and took her food upstairs. She heard a crash coming from Elena's room as she past and stopped to turn around. She stick her soda can between her forearm and body and knocked on the door, "Elena," she walked in without waiting for an answer.

Elena was sitting on the bed while Stefan was pressed up against the wall as far away from her as he could get. The lamp that used to sit on the table was broke and his eyes as those veins protruding from underneath his eyes.

"I got to go," Stefan rushed passed Alyssa as he walked out of the door.

Alyssa turned to Elena after Stefan had left. "He's fine?" She walked into Elena's room sitting down her food and drink. She shut the door. "Cause that doesn't look like it to me."

She sighed, "I know."

"Do you?" She said it but Alyssa didn't think Elena actually knew what it meant. "Because it's been a few days and he's still not himself. And I know," she raised her hand to cut her off from what she was saying. "It's been awhile since he's had human blood and he needs time to adjust. But he could have hurt you."

"Stefan would never hurt me."

"Bunnies, squirrels...lassey, that blood drinking Stefan wouldn't hurt you but you don't know what this Stefan would do. Cause you've never seen him with human blood in his system. There has to be a reason that he doesn't drink it other than his regard for human life." She could see that she was slightly seeing reasoning. "Elena please, until Stefan is Stefan again, promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise." Elena said and she could tell she meant it but she didn't know whether to believe it. She was going to choose to believe it but still kept an eye out by going straight to the source.

Alyssa opened the door to let Damon in, "Good, you're here."

"You ask I come. I'm easy like that." She shut the door behind him.

"That's not exactly the word I'll use for you." She turned and head up the stairs.

Damon sees Jeremy eating in the kitchen. "No Alyssa, I will not go to your bedroom with you." He said lough enough for him to hear.

Alyssa reached back and catches his arm dragging him up the stairs. He laughs and go upstairs with her. Jeremy looked at them.

She pushed him in her room and shut the door.

"Did you know Uncle John has been kicking it with the Founders' Council?" He asked looking behind him as he went to go sitting on the bed.

"What?" Alyssa knew she shouldn't been surprise. He had said as much in the kitchen earlier that he knew about the vampires in Mystic Falls so to her it stood to reason that he would be trying to get on the council.

"Yep."

"Perfect, we'll just add it to the growing list of how everything is falling apart." She folded her arms leaning against the dresser across from the foot of the bed. "Your brother is the very top of that list by the way. He's not as stable as either one of us would like."

His brow knitted at the way it did whenever he was worried or contemplated something, "did he do something?"

"Not to me," she filled him in on what she walked in on. "I'm worried about Elena. Should she even been alone with him."

"He'll be fine."

"When? Cause it's been days and Stefan isn't Stefan."

"Well, maybe his problem is that he has spent too long not being himself."

He got off the bed and walked over to the draw taking a bra out. She takes it back.

"The Stefan you know was "good behavior Stefan", 'reign it in Stefan", "fight against his nature into an annoying excessive level Stefan'"

"So you're saying there's another Stefan, a Stefan whose personality resembles yours?"

"He doesn't want to be. It doesn't mean that deep down though he's not."

That didn't give her any comfort she was hoping to find.

"Aunt Jenna I'll be in the car," Alyssa called out from downstairs rummaging through her purse for her keys walking into something hard, she looked up. "Uncle John."

"Alyssa," he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, "you wouldn't be try to avoid me would you."

She took the keys out of her purse. "Why would I do that?" She stepped around him to get through the door.

He followed her. "We didn't really end on good terms the last time I was in town. I know we've had some not so pleasant run ins in the past."

She turned to him. "You mean when you called me a drug addicted delinquent who was a disgrace to the family name? Why would that be unpleasant anyone would love to hear that."

"Still, I'm sorry how I handle our run ins in the past."

"You're forgiven. Now if you'll excuse me there's a town full of people waiting to see how much of a stain I am on the family name." She turned around and left.

She searched for Matt when she got to the Lockwood's for another founders party and found him with Tyler headed somewhere in the house. "Bourbon," she took the bottle from Matt, "thank god." She took a long sip from the bottle.

"Looks like the old Alyssa is back," Tyler commented as she stopped drinking and passed it to him.

"Only for however long this party last," she responded, "or whenever Uncle John leaves. I haven't decided yet."

"Couldn't avoid him huh?" Matt guessed from her attitude.

"He cornered me on the way here." She took the bottle as it passed. "Apologized for being an ass, my word not his, though I would have been more open to forgive him if he had use those words to describe his horrible personality."

She finished and took a sip passing it to Matt who took a sip of his own and passed it to Tyler. "Still no word on how long he's staying?"

"No, but I get the feeling he isn't planning on leaving anytime soon, which really concerns me." She took a sip of the bottle as it got passed around.

She stayed talking with Matt and Tyler until the bottle was near empty. She left to find other ways to have fun when an arm reached for her as she crossed the dance floor and she looked up to see Damon.

"Hi," she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You seem happy to see me," he said confused. "Are you drunk?"

"No," she shook her head. "Not drunk, I just shared a bottle of bourbon with Matt and Tyler so I'm a little tipsy. Give me two glasses of champagne and a shot of vodka and then you'll a see a drunk me."

"I've already seen that." He reminded her. "I don't care to see a repeat. Have you noticed what your brother has been up to?"

She sobered up at his question, "no."

"He has been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death."

"He knows that her death was ruled an overdose." Or that's what they're saying to cover up the fact that she was turned into a vampire.

"Really?" He begun to intimate Jeremy. "'Oh but sheriff, someone buried her. Who would do that?"" his intimate ended there. "I know I know! Me!" I mean I could compel him but he's wearing vervain."

"I'm guessing you've already discussed this with Elena," she hadn't seen either of them since she gotten there but figured since they both were both keeping an eye on Stefan, then they would have ran into each to her.

"She doesn't want me to compel him." He said looking around for the person the conversation had been about. "She says she'll handle it."

"I don't want you to compel him either, but I can't risk him asking questions." She avoided him for the sole purpose. She didn't want to have to lie to him on top of the million and one lies she's already had to tell. "He can't know about any of this. I've already got tomb vampires, your brother being off the wagon, and Uncle John sniffing around the council to worry about. Jeremy, is something I don't want to add to that growing list."

"Yeah...about Uncle John."

Alyssa looked at him with a look of suspicion, "what did you do?"

He nodded for him to follow her. They walk towards the front doors when they see John walk in from outside.

Alyssa stared at him in shock as he turned and looked at them. "I thought you said you killed him."

"I did."

They watched him walk away.

"Thank you all, thank you very much, thank you. Thank you all for joining us tonight in just a few moments we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founders' Day celebration and it's a very special one this year. The one hundred and fiftieth birthday of our town." Mayor Lockwood spoke to the crowd as a bell on a table is wheeled next to him.

Alyssa stood next to Damon listening to the mayor speak. "And...and I would like to welcome back one of our town favorite's sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell. John Gilbert, would you please join me up here?"

John applauded and joined the mayor. "I don't get it," Alyssa spoke loud enough for Damon to hear. "How can he still be walking around if you throw him from a balcony?"

John looked there way as he continued his speech about how they all look out for each other and protect each other.

"I think I know." She turned to him only to have him walk away. "Well thanks for sharing." She watched as he approached Rick and they discuss what to appeared to be the topic of John.

Elena walked by before she could figure out anything concrete and she leaned up from against the wall and followed her.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked when Alyssa managed to catch up to her.

"No, I was with the other Salvatore," Elena cut her eyes at her for an explanation. "He was telling me about Jeremy asking questions about Vicki. I hope you were able to convince him that she overdosed."

"One problem at a time," she said as they left the house to continue their search for Stefan. Elena filled her in on what happened with Matt Tyler and Kelly.

"Kelly and Tyler? I know she isn't the most convenient mom but to make out with Tyler." Alyssa never expected her to go so far but she shouldn't have been surprised.

"Matt was pretty upset."

"I'll find him after I help you find Stefan." She didn't want to leave her alone to look for him. Alyssa pointed him out when they were able to find him. "I think that's him."

"Stefan? Stefan?" Elena called out and sees the man on the ground but he runs off. They see a man laying on the ground and run on over to him. "Hey! Are you okay? What happened?"

He got up. "My arm. I lost my balance and fell. I'm clumsy."

Alyssa studied him carefully to see the slightly dazed look in his eyes and his speech and knows that he has been compelled.

Alyssa arrived at the Donovan, just as Matt stormed out, "Matt." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I just can't be here right now." He said without having to explain why she was there. He just knew.

Alyssa understood. "I know the perfect the place."

She took him to the place where she and Vick use to hang out sitting under their tree in silence. Matt didn't want to talk about it and she wasn't going to push him.

"I kicked my mom out." He finally said after a long stretch of silence. "I just can't take anymore of her problems." She didn't say anything just listened.

"Until all of that happened I was actually having fun tonight. I didn't worry about back bills. I wasn't grieving Vick and she just ruined it. I'm tired of worrying about her. Let her go mess up her own life but she's through messing up mine."

Again Alyssa didn't say a word, just listen to him vent, laying her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence.

She dropped Matt off at the house not bothering to see if Kelly had really gone. She had some place else to be.

"Please tell me that wasn't human blood Stefan was drinking." She asked Damon as she came into his room and removed her jacket.

He poured a glass of scotch. "It wasn't human blood."

She knew he was lying but decided to go with it anyway, "and John? I'm guessing you talked to him. Any clue on how he came back to life?"

"He inherited a ring that protects him against the supernatural. I.E me," he offered her a glass of scotch and she declined. "Your father had the other one. He gave it to Isobel who then gave it to Ric."

"Your saying John and Isobel knew each other?"

"John not only knew her, but sent her to me, all wrapped up in a little bow."

It was all too much to think about. "I think I will have that drink now."

He turned to make it and she walked over to his dresser and pulled out one of his shirts taking it with her to the bathroom. "Do you think the Isobel trail with John is going to lead to Katherine?" She quickly changed out of her dress letting down her hair as she left the bathroom. "Cause I really hope that's not the case."

He looked her over. "You look comfy."

"I am." He handed her her a drink and she sat on the couch in his room. "So what are we going to do about John?" Alyssa asked. "He could expose you and Stefan to the council. He obviously knows a lot more than he's saying which means he has a reason for coming back."

He sat beside her. "And you're going to find out what that is."

"I'll get started in it tomorrow," she sat her head on his shoulder. "I'll just add it to the list of vampire related problems still left to solve. Top on that list, getting you to add some color to your wardrobe." He smiled and took a sip from his glass. "Getting you over Katherine would be a very close second. She doesn't deserve you. She doesn't deserve anyone, but especially not you."

Damon looked down to see her eyes closed and removed the glass from her hand. He sat it on the table in front of the couch and got up carrying her over to the bed.